Micro-needles – sharp, microscopic structures made using micro-fabrication techniques borrowed from the computer chip-making industry – can be incorporated into discreet skin patches and create tiny holes that allow the passage of drugs, vaccines and electrical signals across the otherwise impenetrable skin barrier. This fusion of micro-engineering and medicine has the potential to make an impact in many areas of transdermal healthcare, including low-cost drug delivery, needle-free mass vaccination programmes and wearable micro-sensors for physiological  monitoring. Micro-needles could replace traditional (and painful!) needle-and-syringe delivery within the next decade.

Dr. Conor O’Mahony is a Staff Researcher at the Tyndall National Institute. His research specialises in the development of micro-machined sensors and actuators  for telecommunications, environmental monitoring and health, with particular emphasis on the development of micro-needle-based devices for ground-breaking uses in transdermal delivery, sensing and diagnostics. He chaired the 2012 International Conference on Micro-needles, and is a member of the UCC Research Team of the Year 2012.