Simulation based optimization of microneedle geometry to improve drug permeability in skin

Microneedles are a method of transdermal drug delivery which overcomes the barrier of the stratum corneum by piercing through with little or no pain. Microneedle have been shown to increase the skin permeability but the extent to which they do so is affected by the design of the microneedles due to certain parameters such as tip radius, base radius, pitch, number of microneedles on the patch and penetration depth. In this study a framework is developed to optimize these parameters and an optimum geometry for a microneedle shape is proposed. Simulations using two different softwares where then carried out to analyze the effect of these parameters on the diffusive flux and concentration of the drug in the blood. We found that the results of the numerical optimization and the results from the computer simulations led to the same conclusion about the optimum dimensions for the chosen geometry.