Hypodermic needles are conventionally used to deliver drugs and vaccines into the muscle of humans and animals. Side effects of these needle injections are pain, bleeding, and anxiety in patients. An alternative drug and vaccine delivery method is the use of hollow microneedles, which are sub-millimeter needle-like structures. Microneedles are pain- and bleeding-free, as they do not reach the nerve-endings and blood capillaries in the skin. As a result, they are better received by patients and do not induce needle anxiety. As the investigators' microneedles are made of gold- or silver-coated, as well as uncoated nickel, the purpose of this study is to observe their biocompatibility and inertness.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
15
The stratum corneum of the participants will be breached with the gold- and silver-coated, or uncoated nickel microneedles.
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Skin reaction as measured by a contact dermatitis classification system
Allergic patch-test based grading will be done according to the Wilkinson DS et al 1970 reference.
Time frame: 7 days
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