Rapid biodegradable microneedles with allergen reservoir for skin allergy test

Abstract

AbstractWith the increasing allergy cases worldwide, this study introduces a biodegradable microneedle system to facilitate allergy testing process. Dissolving microneedle provides a minimally invasive manner to go through skin barrier while avoiding needle phobia among patents, especially children. The microneedles were fabricated using copolymer polyvinylpyrrolidone-co-methacrylic acid (PVP-MAA) material. To ensure the successful insertion of microneedles into the skin, we tailored the mechanical strength of the copolymer by adjusting the weight ratio of two constituted polymers. A reservoir was designed to load allergy specimen for the allergy test. This system is expected to offer a simple and effective allergy testing that can facilitate the allergy testing protocol.