Keynote: Translation of Microneedle Patch Technology into the Clinic

Advances in three microneedle technologies will be presented. The design of dissolvable microneedle patches will be described, and the development of microneedle patches for measles and rubella vaccination will be presented in detail, leading up to a phase 1/2 clinical trial. Adaptation of microneedles to serve as electrodes in combination with a piezoelectric pulse generator will be presented as an ultra-low-cost and simple electroporation method for DNA and mRNA vaccination as an alternative to lipid nanoparticles and viral vectors. Design of particles containing microneedles (i.e., STAR particles) will be described as a means to administer hydrophilic and high molecular weight compounds to the skin for dermatology. These technologies originally developed at Georgia Tech are being further developed and commercialized by Micron Biomedical, Piezo Therapeutics and Aldena Therapeutics, respectively.