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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ute JungwirthORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials Technologies published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Hollow microneedle devices as a technology for interstitial fluid extraction show promise for the minimally invasive point-of-care detection of analytes. Despite increasing efforts toward on-patch diagnostics, the use of hollow microneedles has been limited due to the complexity caused by integrating hollow microneedles with established point-of-care diagnostic techniques. Herein, a 3D printing method is utilized, to provide low-cost manufacturing of custom-designed hollow microneedle devices, allowing for easy integration with lateral flow assays for rapid and blood-free diagnostics. Microneedle surface modification through PEGylation results in prolonged and enhanced hydrophilicity, enabling passive uptake of small volume samples (≈22.5 µL) and an enhanced shelf life. The hollow microneedle devices are deemed non-cytotoxic to cell types found within the skin following short-term and prolonged exposure in accordance with ISO10993. Furthermore, the devices demonstrate high mechanical strength and successfully penetrate porcine skin grafts without damaging the surrounding skin morphology. This work also demonstrates for the first time the use of hollow microneedles for the simultaneous detection, at clinically relevant concentrations, of C-reactive protein (LoD = 10 µg mL−1) and procalcitonin (LoD = 1 ng mL−1), through porcine skin, ultimately demonstrating the beneficial use of manufactured 3D-printed hollow microneedles towards low-cost blood-free diagnostics of inflammation markers.
Author(s): Turner JG, Lay E, Jungwirth U, Varenko V, Gill HS, Estrela P, Leese HS
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Advanced Materials Technologies
Year: 2023
Volume: 8
Issue: 16
Print publication date: 25/08/2023
Online publication date: 04/05/2023
Acceptance date: 30/03/2023
Date deposited: 12/02/2024
ISSN (electronic): 2365-709X
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202300259
DOI: 10.1002/admt.202300259
Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Dataset for “3D Printed Hollow Microneedle-Lateral Flow Devices for Rapid Blood-free Diagnostics” at https://researchdata.bath.ac.uk/1233/.
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