Inner ear disorders are accountable for the vast majority and severity of diseases causing sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), affecting more than 25 million people in the United States alone. Providing effective strategies to treat hearing loss disorders is still a continuing issue among physicians. Anatomical features of the inner ear, like the blood-labyrinth barrier (BLB) and the round window membrane (RWM), hinder the process for successful drug delivery. In the past decade, interest in the microneedle technology has increased significantly because of its capability to prevent pain and distribute a precise drug load to hair cells in the Organ of Corti (OC). This project is targeted to provide non-ototoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible microneedles using dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA), a biodegradable polymer. Rhodamine B needle fabrication and analysis is conducted for comparative reasons by mimicking dexamethasone release. For smaller scale microneedle production and further studies, a wafer with micron-sized structures was prepared using SU-8 by photolithography.

Development of biodegradable microneedles using dexamethasone and Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) for cochlear drug delivery

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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