New generation Osteoarthritis Treatment: Microneedle Arrays for Regeneration and More

Osteoarthritis can cause permanent disability and even death due to inactivity. Treating osteoarthritis aims to maintain joint structure and function and avoid further cartilage loss. Regenerative treatments using medical support therapies can be helpful, but their effectiveness is limited when taken orally because of dilution and the hepatic first-pass effect. High doses of these therapies can also cause side effects, challenging continuous treatment.

Sabancı Universitey Research and Application Center researchers developed a new approach for administering the healing molecules locally under the skin at lower doses and with a long-acting approach. The biggest challenge in transdermal drug applications is the limited ability of the active molecules to pass through the skin's barrier. Various methods have been developed to overcome this, but they are costly and complex. Intradermal drug delivery has been recognized as a more effective administration method for small molecules, biologics, and vaccines, but its technical difficulties have limited its usage. Microneedle arrays are a promising technology that allows for the controlled hypodermic administration of active molecules in a non-invasive way, overcoming the first-pass metabolism of the active molecule and providing more prolonged effects at lower doses. Microneedle arrays also reduce the possibility of side effects and have a high patient compliance rate. In addition, this technology allows for the simultaneous delivery of multiple active molecules and is a minimally invasive intradermal approach. This method could also be used to prevent or treat other diseases in the future.