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Research finds four keys to piercing skin without hurting

Researchers at The Ohio State University believe we can learn from nature's design of the mosquito to create a painless microneedle for medical purposes.

"Mosquitoes must be doing something right if they can pierce our skin and draw blood without causing pain," said Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and Howard D. Winbigler Professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State.

"We can use what we have learned from mosquitoes as a starting point to create a better microneedle."

In a recently published paper, Bhushan and his colleagues reported on their detailed analysis of the mosquito's proboscis -- the part that feeds on us. They identified four keys to how the insects pierce us without pain: use of a numbing agent; a serrated design to the "needle"; vibration during the piercing; and a combination of soft and hard parts on the proboscis.

Lessons from mosquitoes' painless piercing (DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.05.025) (DX)

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