Microneedle technology represents a promising third-generation transdermal drug delivery system designed to overcome skin's natural barrier by creating microscopic channels into the epidermis. Six distinct microneedle types—solid, coated, hollow, dissolving, hydrogel-forming, and porous—each provide unique release kinetics tailored to specific therapeutic applications. These arrays enable delivery of large-molecule drugs and biologics that cannot penetrate intact skin, offering a middle ground between oral administration and parenteral products. Despite decades of research and substantial preclinical progress, demonstrating commercial success in diagnostic devices, no therapeutic microneedle patch has yet achieved FDA or EMA marketing authorization. This regulatory gap highlights the ongoing challenges in translating this innovative technology from laboratory to clinical practice.

Wearable and implantable biosensors represent a transformative advancement in personalized cardiometabolic care, extending monitoring capabilities far beyond traditional glucose measurement. This comprehensive review examines cutting-edge biosensing technologies capable of continuously tracking metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory biomarkers. The integration of multimodal sensing platforms with microneedle-based devices enables non-invasive or minimally invasive real-time health monitoring. These innovations facilitate earlier disease detection, improved treatment optimization, and enhanced patient outcomes through continuous physiological data collection. The convergence of wearable and implantable sensor technologies promises to revolutionize preventive medicine and personalized healthcare delivery.

Inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis present significant clinical challenges due to their chronic nature, high recurrence rates, and complex immune mechanisms. Conventional topical treatments suffer from limited bioavailability due to the stratum corneum barrier, while systemic administration risks substantial toxicity. Advanced Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) address these limitations through innovative mechanisms including lipid fusion, barrier hydration, and microchannel creation. These systems enable targeted drug accumulation and controlled release at affected sites using stimuli-responsive and biomimetic strategies. This comprehensive review examines recent progress in novel delivery platforms for inflammatory skin diseases, providing a theoretical foundation for advancing therapeutic approaches from symptomatic management toward precision-based treatments.

Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are transforming dermal and transdermal therapies by addressing shortcomings of conventional formulations. The stratum corneum acts as a barrier to drug permeation, thus limiting many therapeutically relevant agents, especially hydrophilic and high-molecular-weight compounds. Nanocarriers such as liposomes, ethosomes, transfersomes, nanoparticles, micelles and solid lipid hybrids enhance the solubility, stability and skin penetration of drugs through different permeation routes and allow localized and systemic delivery. These systems can offer improved therapeutic outcomes in preclinical dermatology models, reduced dose frequency and systemic toxicity and thus improved patient compliance. Advanced strategies like stimulus-responsive systems and microneedle incorporation have been developed to improve controlled drug release and transdermal flux of macromolecules. While nanocarrier-based systems offer several advantages over traditional formulations, their mechanisms of skin penetration are complex and often limited to enhancing local drug deposition rather than facilitating the direct passage of intact carriers into systemic circulation.

The 2025 Global Conference on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Medicine Derived Extracellular Vesicles-like Particles convened in Guangzhou to advance cutting-edge research in plant-derived extracellular vesicles. International scholars exchanged innovations in EV extraction, functional modification, and therapeutic applications across six themed forums addressing basic research, disease treatment, and industrial transformation. Experts discussed standardized separation technologies and engineered modification strategies for treating tumors, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases while identifying critical challenges in large-scale production, quality control, and regulatory compliance. Emerging research directions include cross-kingdom molecular communication, oral nano-delivery systems, and interdisciplinary integration with artificial intelligence. The conference strengthened international academic collaboration, clarified translational pathways for commercialization, and established foundational frameworks for globalizing plant-derived vesicle therapeutics to enhance worldwide healthcare outcomes and modernize traditional Chinese medicine applications.

Microneedle (MN) technology has emerged as a third-generation transdermal system that overcomes this skin barrier through micron-scale projections, typically 25 to 2000 µm in length, that create channels into the viable epidermis without reaching pain-sensitive nerve endings or blood vessels. Despite its potential, no microneedle array patch product for therapeutic drug delivery has received marketing authorization from the FDA or EMA to date.6 This article presents the scientific principles, technological progress, and translational hurdles defining the present state of microneedle research.

The unique physicochemical attributes of nanocarriers, such as their ultra-small size, tunable surface charge, and stimuli-responsive release kinetics, are well ...

Nanostructured targeted drug delivery systems represent a significant advancement in pharmaceutical science, enabling precise therapeutic agent distribution to diseased tissues while minimizing systemic side effects. This comprehensive review examines emerging paradigms in nanotechnology-based delivery mechanisms, exploring innovative approaches that enhance bioavailability and treatment efficacy. The article synthesizes current research developments and scientific breakthroughs in nano-formulations, addressing how engineered nanostructures improve drug targeting capabilities. By analyzing contemporary methodologies and their clinical applications, this open-access publication provides valuable insights for researchers, pharmaceutical developers, and healthcare professionals seeking to understand the evolving landscape of nanomedicine and its potential to revolutionize therapeutic interventions.

Nanobilosomal gel is a promising frontier for site-specific drug delivery and relies on the integration of drug-loaded bilosomes (BLs) into a gel matrix [7].

The idea is straightforward: ink injected into the skin reacts to glucose levels in interstitial fluid and shifts hue so you can check your metabolic state with ...

With the rapid advancement of the biopharmaceutical field, peptide-based biologics have demonstrated clear advantages over small-molecule therapeutics in disease treatment, such as high pharmacological activity, high solubility, and low toxicity. However, conventional peptide drug formulations still face a range of clinical and logistical challenges:

Preliminary in vivo biocompatibility in mice was satisfactory, with no skin irritation and normal complete blood count, renal, and hepatic function. In vivo studies in a rabbit ear HS model demonstrate accelerated HS healing, reduced HS thickness, epidermal thickness index (ETI), scar elevation index (SEI), and collagen deposition, along with decreased profibrotic markers, inflammatory cytokines, and angiogenic factors. Overall, the TS+GLNPs@sMN patch offers a minimally invasive, self-administrable, dual-action therapeutic strategy for enhanced HS management, with safety and efficacy in preclinical models.

This study comprehensively analyzes the top 100 highly cited publications in microneedle (MN) research to reveal convergences and divergences in academic and public interest, assess the current research landscape and its impact, and offer data-driven support for clarifying future research directions.We identified highly cited microneedle articles published from 2015 to July 15, 2025 using the Web of Science database, validated the records through Scopus and Google Scholar, and gathered Altmetric attention scores from Altmetric.Extracted data encompassed citation counts, publication years, journals, authors, affiliations, and countries, which we summarized using descriptive statistics and visualized with CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R for correlation analysis.

The present study demonstrated the successful design and development of dissolving microneedle patches with an advanced architecture for transdermal delivery of naltrexone hydrochloride. The combination of PVP/PVA-based microneedle tips and a PVP/Poloxamer 407 backing layer proved to be an effective strategy for balancing mechanical performance and drug delivery characteristics. The selected polymer blend for the tips ensured adequate mechanical strength for insertion while maintaining suitable dissolution behavior, whereas the thermoresponsive backing layer functioned as a drug reservoir capable of modulating release and permeation.

Smart hydrogel dressings represent a significant advancement in treating complex wounds such as severe burns and chronic diabetic ulcers, which conventional materials struggle to address effectively. These innovative hydrogels closely mimic the native extracellular matrix while offering tunable physicochemical properties and high water content. Recent developments encompass natural and synthetic polymers alongside bio-inspired systems including DNA-based and peptide hydrogels. Key multifunctional capabilities include stimulus-responsive drug delivery, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, immunomodulatory effects, and enhanced mechanical characteristics such as self-healing and tissue adhesion. By targeting specific pathological mechanisms including macrophage polarization, angiogenesis, cellular senescence, and fibrosis, these advanced hydrogels facilitate comprehensive tissue regeneration beyond simple wound closure, offering promising therapeutic potential for complex wound management.

Evaluate pH level and temperature stability of HA to achieve optimal virus uptake. High-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) delivery of a DNA vaccine evaluate ...

At lower temperatures, the polymer chains are hydrated and exist as unimers, while increasing temperature enables dehydration of the polypropylene oxide blocks, ...

Researchers have developed an innovative wearable paper-based microneedle array sensor for continuous glucose monitoring that addresses current limitations in diabetes management. The system integrates disposable solid microneedles fabricated from biocompatible surgical guide resin and microcrystalline cellulose on a flexible paper substrate, paired with reusable electronics and a mobile application. The microneedles function as electrochemical biosensors through graphene coating and functional modifiers, enabling real-time glucose detection in dermal interstitial fluid. Extensive testing on porcine plasma, artificial skin models, and live mice demonstrates high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. This cost-effective, eco-friendly approach represents a significant advancement toward practical continuous glucose monitoring, potentially improving patient adherence and acceptance in diabetes care.

Diabetic, chronic, and refractory wounds formed a central application area because they involve overlapping barriers to repair, including persistent ...

Chitosan-based wound dressings represent a promising therapeutic approach for managing chronic wounds, which present multiple healing challenges including infection, vascular insufficiency, and immune dysregulation. Derived from chitin deacetylation, chitosan is a biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide with inherent hemostatic and antibacterial properties that can be chemically modified to enhance efficacy. This comprehensive review examines how structural modifications and formulation strategies, such as catechol grafting and quaternization, enable chitosan-based dressings to address specific pathological barriers in different wound types. By systematically linking wound pathophysiology to functional dressing requirements, the research demonstrates that therapeutic effectiveness depends not solely on chitosan's intrinsic properties but rather on targeted property modulation through rational design and fabrication approaches.