As a child, we are vaccinated using a syringe. It's sometimes painful and makes our arms uncomfortable, which shows this method also has minor risks. Another effective way for transporting medicine or vaccine through our skin is by the application of microneedles. The microneedles work by "Poke and Patch" method. Microneedles are made by silicon, stainless steel, titanium. While these microneedles have received huge attention, the biocompatibility issue posed by the use of these materials leads to the development of Dissolving Microneedles (dMNs). They are often made from organic polymers, such as dextran (made from glucose monomers). A Journal published by Materials Today elaborates the ongoing development of dMns, including the variety of the microneedles based on their geometrical shape. Following is the application mechanism of the dMns.

A patch is first applied to the patient's skin. It is composed of curve edged micropillars, safety ring, and microneedles as shown in the following picture.

When the microneedles are inserted into the skin and penetrate Stratum Corneum (SC), the medicine loaded in the tip of microneedles is released and absorbed by the blood vessel in the dermal layer (dermal microcirculation). The tip that penetrates into the skin will undergo dissolution process. Because it is different from silicon based microneedles that may leave tiny wastes after insertion, dMns is safer. The micropillars is made from PMMA polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is a nontoxic polymer. Hopefully this technology will be realized and used in everyday basis. See you in the next article.