Brianna Geurts, “Microneedles for Light Delivery Treatment in Patients with NF-1”
Mentor: Qingsu Cheng, Biomedical Engineering
Poster #69

Patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF-1) disease suffer from abnormal benign tumors on their skin. NF 1 symptom starts showing symptoms during childhood. In addition to the pain and discomfort caused by NF1, children also suffer psychologically, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, social withdrawal, difficulty forming interpersonal relationships, behavioral problems, difficulty in school, etc. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that significant growth is made in the treatment process for the disease. Currently, there are drugs, topical aminolaevulinic acid (ALA), that can be used to help treat cutaneous NF-1; however, ALA need light for its activation. For this reason, current treatments only work for the outermost epidermis layers. To treat deeper layers of skin with these drugs, a microneedle or microblade array must be designed to help deliver light to the affected area. A microneedle array is optimal because it is effective and minimally painful for the patient. This allows for better treatment of the disease with children, the target group. We have created a microneedle array and a microblade array that is presented in the form of a patch for patients to wear for a short period of time so that light can be transmitted through the microneedles/blades directly into the skin cells. We created upscale models of the arrays with polylactic acid (PLA) at a scale of 3000% of the actual size. In addition, we obtained arrays at a scale of 300% of the actual size. Microneedle and microblade arrays are beginning to be printed to scale and are expected to deliver light to deeper layers of the skin and have the strength to penetrate the skin without breaking. Further development and use of these patches could be the next step toward better treatment of NF-1 in pediatrics and in the patient population.