title: An optimized hollow microneedle for minimally invasive blood extraction.
abstract: The healthcare system relies widely on biochemical information obtained from blood sample extracted via hypodermic needles, despite the invasiveness and pain associated with this procedure. Therefore, an alternative micro-scale needle for minimally invasive blood sampling is highly desirable. Traditional fabrication techniques to create microneedles do not generate needles with the combined features of a sharp tip, long length, and hollow structure concurrently. Here, we report the fabrication of a microneedle long enough to reach blood vessels and sharp enough to minimize nerve contact for minimally invasive blood extraction. The microneedle structure was precisely controlled using a drawing lithography technique, and a sharp tip angle was introduced using a laser-cutting system. We investigated the characteristics of a microneedle with a length of 1,800 μm length, an inner diameter of 60 μm, a tip diameter of 120 μm, and a 15° bevel angle through in-vitro liquid extraction and mechanical strength analysis. We demonstrated that the proposed structure results in blood extraction at a reasonable rate, and that a microneedle with this geometry can reliably penetrate skin without breaking. We integrated this microneedle into a blood extraction device to extract a 20 μl volume of mouse blood in-vivo. Our optimized, hollow microneedle can potentially be incorporated with other cutting-edge technologies such as microactuators, biosensors, and microfluidic chips to create blood analysis systems for point-of-care diagnostics.
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-749, South Korea.
authors: Cheng Guo
authors: CG
authors: Li
authors: Chang Yeol
authors: CY
authors: Lee
authors: Kwang
authors: K
authors: Lee
authors: Hyungil
authors: H
authors: Jung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D051379:Mice; D055616:Microtechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009339:Needles