Microneedle Patches as Drug and Vaccine Delivery Platform

In this review, we summarized the evolution, current and future application of microneedle patches as delivery vehicle for drugs and vaccines. Compared with traditional delivery tools, microneedle patches have many advantages, such as providing pain-free, non-invasive, convenient route for reagent administration and delivery, with no cold chain required for storage and transportation as well as decreasing sharp medical waste, needle-caused injury and transmission of blood-borne infectious disease in rural area. However, even though there are dramatic progress in preclinical investigation of microneedle patches, further testing will be required for clinical application. Further research should be implemented in multiple fields, such as vaccinology, immunology, and materials science, to improve this delivery platform. Because of their advantages in dose sparing, safety and treatment compliance, microneedle patches are expected to be widely applied in clinical treatment and vaccine administration in near future.