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WSU researcher creating less expensive and painful eye treatment

A Washington State University researcher is creating technology that would deliver drugs to a specific part of the eye over long periods of time in a less expensive and painful way than hypodermic needles.
Mock-up prototype of the microneedle array. It shows the relational size of the microneedles and the actual device. The ultimate overall diameter will be smaller than what's shown in the photo. (Photo: WSU)

A Washington State University researcher has received a grant to develop technology that delivers drugs to the eye in a less expensive and painful way than traditional means, the university announced Thursday.

Kuen-Ren “Roland” Chen, assistant professor in the WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, received an 18-month U.S. Department of Defense grant for $264,000 to develop locking and unlocking technology for microneedle arrays.

Microneedles can range in length from 400 to 700 microns and are an alternative to standard hypodermic needles. The minimally invasive needles are clustered on an array and deliver drugs to a specific area of the eye.

The technology is used to treat diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

They can be preferable to laser therapy, which has several serious side effects, and direct eye injections, which can cost nearly $2,000 per shot and can be painful, according to WSU.

Chen’s technology uses polymer gel to lock the needles and allows doctors to attach them to the eye, deliver drugs for a long period of time, and then remove it. Microneedle technology isn’t new, but the locking device would be, according to WSU.

Researchers are currently building a mold for the microneedles and testing the locking mechanism. They will create the microneedles using 3D printing.

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