British Journal of Dermatology
British Journal of Dermatology
5 years ago

Minimally-invasive and targeted therapeutic cell delivery to the skin using microneedle devices

G.J. Blayney, O.J. Guy, L.-D. Piveteau, P.F. Eng, J.C. Birchall, D. Shah, S.A. Coulman, B. Gualeni, P. Vescovo, H. Ashraf
Background Translation of cell therapies to the clinic is accompanied by numerous challenges, including controlled and targeted delivery of the cells to their site of action, without compromising cell viability and functionality. Objectives To explore the use of hollow microneedle devices (to date only used for the delivery of drugs and vaccines into the skin and for the extraction of biological fluids) to deliver cells into skin in a minimally-invasive, user-friendly and targeted fashion. Methods Melanocyte, keratinocyte and mixed epidermal cell suspensions were passed through various types of microneedles and subsequently delivered into the skin. Results Cell viability and functionality is maintained after injection through hollow microneedles with a bore size ≥75 μm. Healthy cells are delivered into skin at clinically relevant depths. Conclusions Hollow microneedles provide an innovative and minimally-invasive method for delivering functional cells into the skin. Microneedle cell delivery represents a potential new treatment option for cell therapy approaches including skin re-pigmentation, wound repair, scar and burn remodelling, immune therapies, and cancer vaccines. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1111/bjd.15923

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