A piezoelectric-driven microneedle platform for skin disease therapy

Ziyan Chen; Xin Liu; Zixi Jiang; Huayi Wu; Tao Yang; Lanyuan Peng; Lisha Wu; Zhongling Luo; Mi Zhang; Juan Su; Yan Tang; Jinmao Li; Yang Xie; Han Shan; Qibo Lin; Xiuli Wang; Xiang Chen; Hanmin Peng; Shuang Zhao; Zeyu Chen

doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100621

A piezoelectric-driven microneedle platform for skin disease therapy

Innovation (Camb). 2024 Apr 5;5(3):100621. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100621. eCollection 2024 May 6.

Authors

Ziyan Chen^{1

2

3

4}, Xin Liu^{1

2

3

5

6

7

8}, Zixi Jiang^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Huayi Wu^{2

3

4}, Tao Yang⁹, Lanyuan Peng^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Lisha Wu^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Zhongling Luo^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Mi Zhang^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Juan Su^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Yan Tang^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Jinmao Li^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Yang Xie^{2

3

4}, Han Shan^{2

3

4}, Qibo Lin^{2

3

4}, Xiuli Wang¹⁰, Xiang Chen^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Hanmin Peng⁹, Shuang Zhao^{1

2

3

5

6

7}, Zeyu Chen^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
² Furong Laboratory (Precision Medicine), Changsha 410008, China.
³ National Engineering Research Center of Personalized Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
⁴ School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
⁵ Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
⁶ Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
⁷ National Clinical Research Center of Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
⁸ Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710000, China.
⁹ State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
¹⁰ Institute of Photomedicine, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200443, China.

Abstract

With over a million cases detected each year, skin disease is a global public health problem that diminishes the quality of life due to its difficulty to eradicate, propensity for recurrence, and potential for post-treatment scarring. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment with minimal invasiveness or scarring and few side effects, making it well tolerated by patients. However, this treatment requires further research and development to improve its effective clinical use. Here, a piezoelectric-driven microneedle (PDMN) platform that achieves high efficiency, safety, and non-invasiveness for enhanced PDT is proposed. This platform induces deep tissue cavitation, increasing the level of protoporphyrin IX and significantly enhancing drug penetration. A clinical trial involving 25 patients with skin disease was conducted to investigate the timeliness and efficacy of PDMN-assisted PDT (PDMN-PDT). Our findings suggested that PDMN-PDT boosted treatment effectiveness and reduced the required incubation time and drug concentration by 25% and 50%, respectively, without any anesthesia compared to traditional PDT. These findings suggest that PDMN-PDT is a safe and minimally invasive approach for skin disease treatment, which may improve the therapeutic efficacy of topical medications and enable translation for future clinical applications.