Polymeric microneedle arrays for transdermal rapid diagnostic tests and drug delivery: a review

In recent times, the demand for innovative, insignificantly invasive diagnostic and therapeutic biomedical tools has reached enhanced attention. Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) for diagnosis, which are non-invasive, inexpensive, simple, and deliver results accurately in less than 20 minutes, have heightened the accessibility to parasite-based analysis globally. Microneedle (MN) arrays are a fast-developing and promising technology for drug delivery and extraction of Interstitial fluid (ISF) employed for numerous diagnostic and clinical therapies. This review gives a broad overview of the characteristics and history of Microneedles (MNs) patches together with their applications in drug delivery and transdermal rapid diagnostic purposes, classifications, and categories based on the design of fabrication from previous works of literature spanning the period 2018-2023. Utilizing PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Wiley online library search engines, an online search for scientific publications published between 2018 and 2023 was conducted using the keywords "microneedle patch" and "rapid diagnostic tests." 175 articles in all were found when the search terms were used. The acquired results were then narrowed to 64 citations in this review by applying the inclusion principle. Pictorial and tabular representations highlight the various features of Microneedle patches used in interstitial fluid testing and extraction that have been documented experimentally, including numerous applications of Microneedle patches, showing their dimensions, applications, fabrication methods, and findings made. Finally, research on bio-microneedles and bio-inspired MN are reviewed. The research findings indicate that dissolving microneedles has become increasingly popular since they have several benefits over other microneedles. It is among the most well-known microneedles, and since it degrades naturally, it is a superior option for diagnosis and long-term treatment.