Innovative microneedle technologies developed by researchers at CDE could significantly speed up the healing of diabetic wounds, reducing the risk of complications which can lead to life-altering amputations.
Led by Assistant Professor Andy Tay (Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Health Innovation and Technology), the research team has created two microneedle-based approaches offering minimally invasive solutions to tackle the persistent inflammation and protein degradation that frequently hinder wound recovery.
The first uses dissolvable microneedles to stimulate the body's natural production of growth factors, while the second employs a sponge-like microneedle path to extract harmful inflammatory compounds from the wound site.
“Growth factors are important for wound healing because they regulate key cellular functions. However, in diabetic wounds, these growth factors are rapidly broken down by other enzymes known as proteases. This dramatically slows down wound recovery. At the same time, diabetic wounds are characterised by persistently high levels of inflammation,” said Asst Prof Tay.
“We wanted to tackle these two issues by using microneedles both for delivery and extraction,” Asst Prof Tay added. “It is minimally invasive, can be fabricated with precision, and allows for the active compounds to be painlessly administered directly into wounds. Microneedle patches are excellent materials for wound healing.”
The researchers’ findings were published in the scientific journals Biomaterials and Advanced Functional Materials and the team says their novel microneedle patches could be applied to other inflammatory skin conditions, such as psoriasis.
Innovative approaches to wound healing
“As diabetes becomes more prevalent, the number of patients suffering from non-healing wounds continues to rise,” said Asst Prof Tay. “In Singapore alone, an estimated 400,000 individuals live with diabetes, and every day an average of four people face the devastating reality of limb amputation due to these chronic wounds. Our research aims to provide a solution that can improve healing and mitigate such life-altering outcomes.”
Current treatments often use hydrogels to deliver growth factors, but these degrade quickly in the protease-rich environment of chronic wounds, necessitating high doses and repeated applications. Instead of direct delivery, the NUS researchers developed sucralfate microneedles (SUC-MN) that release an immunomodulatory protein, interleukin-4 (IL-4). This stimulates the body’s own production of growth factors while protecting them from degradation.
The microneedles dissolve within the wound, providing a localised, effective treatment that accelerates healing at twice the rate of traditional methods. Unlike conventional adhesive dressings, which can damage fragile new tissue, the microneedle patches are painless and minimise secondary injury.
In the second approach, the researchers explored the use of microneedles to extract, rather than deliver, compounds. They designed heparin-coated porous microneedles (HPMN) to soak up chemokines—molecules that trap inflammatory immune cells at the wound site. By reducing inflammation at its source, the treatment resulted in a 50% drop in tissue inflammation and a 90% reduction in wound size by the 14th day of treatment.
Dr Le Zhicheng, who was a postdoctoral researcher with Asst Prof Tay at the time of the studies, was lead author of the two papers.
Future development and clinical potential
The team is now looking to refine the technology, including fabricating microneedles with more controllable pore sizes using advanced techniques such as 3D printing. They are also exploring the integration of antibacterial properties to address infections common in chronic wounds.
“We are excited about the potential impact of our research and look forward to advancing this technology towards clinical translation,” said Asst Prof Tay. “The two approaches developed by our team would provide much-needed relief for patients with diabetic wounds, as well as many patients suffering from skin conditions like atopic dermatitis or psoriasis.”
With further development, these microneedle patches could revolutionise personalised wound care and offer targeted treatments for various inflammatory skin disorders, improving the quality of life for millions globally.
