at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a dissolvable 3D-printed microneedle patch that could eventually offer a more targeted way to deliver medicines for localised skin cancer.
The small patch contains microneedles designed to pass through the outer layer of skin without drawing blood. Researchers incorporated two anti-cancer drugs directly into the printed material, allowing a controlled release into the affected area.
The work is rather than an available , and further development would be needed before routine use. Its promise lies in the delivery method: a potentially less invasive approach that could also inform future ways of administering other medicines and vaccines.