Ultra-long-acting microneedles for biologics delivery

This project aims to develop transdermal microneedle formulations for delivering biologic drugs over several weeks or months. Biologics (e.g. peptides, DNA, RNA) are emerging drugs for challenging diseases, including cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Due to their macromolecular size, these drugs cannot be absorbed orally. Thus, they have traditionally required frequent invasive injections.

To overcome this issue, we have developed a novel material that can be used as a pharmaceutical excipient to greatly increase the drug loading capacity and drug release duration. It is suitable for formulating different dosage forms including oral, transdermal and implantable formulations. Using this technology, we have previously demonstrated extended drug release of a small-molecule drug over 2 months from a transdermal microneedle patch. This project will extend the application of the microneedle patch to delivering biologics. Several options are available with regards to the therapeutic agent and target disease. These are to be agreed with the supervisor team.

The clinical translation of this ultra-long-acting microneedle technology will empower patients to manage demanding medication regimens themselves. Not only will the microneedle patch replace invasive injections with a painless alternative that patients can self-administer, but it will also significantly reduce the frequency at which the patients will need to take their biologic medications. It will provide a set-and-forget way for patients to self-medicate.

You will join a friendly, diverse and multidisciplinary team spanning the School of Pharmacy and School of Engineering. You will work collaboratively with our clinical and industry partners and have access to state-of-the-art research facilities across the university. You will develop skills in material science, formulation design, microfabrication, pharmaceutical analysis and toxicology testing, among others. There may also be opportunities to partake in patient engagement and commercialisation activities relating to bringing the technology to market.

You should hold or expect to hold a 2:1 or 1st class degree in a biomedical or pharmaceutical science or equivalent subject. A Masters degree or prior research experience would be advantageous.

Contact us:

For enquiries, contact Dr Keng Wooi Ng at Keng.Ng@newcastle.ac.uk.

More about us:

Visit our research blog. We are also on various other social media platforms.

Our selected publications:

Rimawe B, et al. (2024) In vitro evaluation of microneedle strength: A comparison of test configurations and experimental insights. RSC Pharmaceutics, 1:227-233. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4PM00024B

Smith E, et al. (2024) Vac-and-fill: A micromoulding technique for fabricating microneedle arrays with vacuum-activated, hands-free mould-filling. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 650:123706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123706

Dixon RV, et al. (2021) Microneedle-based devices for point-of-care infectious disease diagnostics. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 11(8):2344-2361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2021.02.010

Skaria E, et al. (2019) Poly(lactic) acid/carbon nanotube composite microneedle arrays for dermal biosensing. Analytical Chemistry, 91(7):4436-4443. http://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04980

Ng et al. (2015) Towards pain-free diagnosis of skin diseases through multiplexed microneedles: biomarker extraction and detection using a highly sensitive blotting method. Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 5: 387–396. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-015-0231-5