Sungkyunkwan University announced on September 6 that a joint research team of Prof. Ji Hoon JUNG at the College of Pharmacy and Prof. Yong Taek LIM at Nano Science and Technology Institute developed a drug delivery technology that can replace injection needles. 

When soluble ultra-fine needles attached to skin, it penetrate corneum layer of skin and dissolve in a short time. The greatest advantage is that there is little pain or tissue damage during this process. Since the effective substance can be delivered to the dermis, it has attracted as a substitute for conventional needles in cosmetic and medical fields. However, existing technology has lots of difficulties to formulate active ingredients that are insoluble in water.

The research team used the property of the formation of nanoparticles through self-assembling when amphiphilic polymer with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties was dissolved in water. After ultra-fine needles that is created from the amphipathic polymer penetrated the corneum layer of skin and dissolved in water, it formulate self-assembled nano particles (1 nm to 1 billionth of a meter), so that the water-insoluble active ingredient can be delivered to the lymph nodes through the dermis. 

The researchers explain that a simple process can contain water-insoluble active ingredients in ultra-fine needles.

The researchers also reported that by using the phenomenon that 30nm sized self-assembled nanoparticles are transferred to the lymph nodes after the attachment to skin, they can improve the effect of the anti-cancer vaccine by transmitting immune enhancer which is not soluble in water and can reduce the inflammatory response in the body.

The research was supported by the Korea Research Foundation's Center for Advanced Research Support and ERC, and it was published on August 24th in the online edition of ACS Nano, the global authority journal in the field of nanoscience.