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from the just-don't-needle-me-about-it dept.
It's only a matter of time before drugs are administered via patches with painless microneedles instead of unpleasant injections. But designers need to balance the need for flexible, comfortable-to-wear material with effective microneedle penetration of the skin. Swedish researchers say they may have cracked the problem.
In the recent volume of PLOS ONE, a research team from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm reports a successful test of its microneedle patch, which combines stainless steel needles embedded in a soft polymer base – the first such combination believed to be scientifically studied. The soft material makes it comfortable to wear, while the stiff needles ensure reliable skin penetration.
Unlike epidermal patches, microneedles penetrate the upper layer of the skin, just enough to avoid touching the nerves. This enables delivery of drugs, extraction of physiological signals for fitness monitoring devices, extracting body fluids for real-time monitoring of glucose, pH level and other diagnostic markers, as well as skin treatments in cosmetics and bioelectric treatments.
Publication: DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166330
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 13 2016, @05:07AM
At least 40 years ago, needles were going to be obsoleted. Technology was promising that shots could be given with an air gun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_injector [wikipedia.org]
When I went to boot camp, the corpsmen had the guns, they held them up to your arm, pulled the trigger, and you heard air going "phhht". It was pretty much painless - there was most certainly no pricking sensation.
In the decades since, I've heard little, and seen less, of these jet injectors. Doctors still rely on needles. I've raised three sons, and the grand children are going through all those inoculations. The wife got a shot a couple days ago, and she complains about her arm hurting.
I'll be impressed with this new patch when the little kids don't scream at the doctor's office any more.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13 2016, @05:12AM
I could have sworn I heard about how microneedle patches and/or jet injectors were going to replace needles 5-10 years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transdermal#Transdermal_pathways [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Tuesday December 13 2016, @05:24AM
I think some of the pain from some shots is the sheer volume a fluid injected.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday December 14 2016, @12:17AM
I do believe that you are right. People who have gone through boot camp will never forget the "A shot". I can't remember what it was for, but we dropped our pants, and got stuck in the buttock. Shot was recieved early in the morning, then we did extensive calisthenics all day long, late into the evening. We were told quite bluntly that if you sat down and failed to exercise, that shot would all but cripple you for a week. Despite all the preventive measures, it was still hard as hell to get on your feet the next morning.
Don't quote me, but I think the shot contained a gallon and a half of genuine Navy Bull Shit.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Chrontius on Tuesday December 13 2016, @05:25AM
PharmaJet sells their eponymous needle-free injector; unlike most, it's capable of giving intramuscular injections.
They fell out of use for a while after the pedo-pump proved to spray tissue fluid all over the front of the device, in such a way as to ensure that it would be injected into the next patient, without extensive cleaning. If you can't afford to autoclave the gun between patients, like when vaccinating an entire Army unit, disposable sharps are the way to go.
Now, though, needle-free injection devices rely upon disposable syringes and nozzles to avoid those cross-contamination issues. And unlike disposable sharps, there's nothing sharp, *and* the syringes are inherently self-disabling, simultaneously preventing reuse and needlestick injuries. If you're giving a lot of shots or taking a lot of shots, you might want to look into one of these things.
In your case, you may want to bring them to the attention of your doctor, who could sell the service as a value-add for his flu shot business in order to drum up business. Consumables are comparable to conventional needles, but the injector costs about a thousand bucks with the (necessary) spring-reset station.
No, I'm not an employee or salesman or anything, just a Star Trek fan. ;)
(Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday December 13 2016, @06:19AM
Considering what it is, you might pass it off as a temporary tattoo patch. For all I know it might be adapted to do both, which might be advantages in tattooing what was just received on the skin. Either that or Spongebob Squarepants.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.