Microneedle-based biosensing

Microneedles (MNs) are microscopic needles that are applied to the skin in a minimally invasive way to facilitate transdermal drug delivery and/or uptake of interstitial fluid from the skin, which contains a variety of metabolites that can serve as biomarkers. The collection of interstitial fluid can be followed by post-sampling analysis or in situ real-time biosensing for disease diagnosis and drug monitoring.

Key points

Skin, as the largest body organ, houses a wide range of metabolites that may be identified as biomarkers for disease prognosis and monitoring.

Microneedle (MN) technology is primarily used as a drug-delivery tool; however, there is a paradigm shift toward utilizing MNs for biosensing purposes.

MN-based biosensors can provide a powerful platform for high-throughput and rapid disease state diagnosis and monitoring.

Developing new sensing modalities can improve the accuracy, precision and sensitivity of MN-based biosensors.

MN-based biosensors offer a wide range of benefits for patients who require continuous and convenient health surveillance; however, multiple translational hurdles must be overcome before MN-based biosensors reach the market.

The painless and easy administration of MNs is appealing to patients, especially for long-term monitoring. In this Review, we discuss the use of MNs for biosensing purposes. We highlight the different types of MNs and sensing technologies used to develop MN-based biosensors. In addition, we discuss the potential to integrate MNs with wearable devices for real-time monitoring to improve point-of-care testing. Finally, we review the translational hurdles to be considered in bringing this technology from benchtop to bedside.

Vora, L.K., Sabri, A.H., McKenna, P.E. et al. Microneedle-based biosensing. Nat Rev Bioeng (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-023-00108-7

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