MIT designs double-barrelled needle for easier viscous drugs injections
Biologic drugs can sometimes be difficult to inject through a standard needle as they contain highly concentrated, viscous substances. To help with administration and distribution in poorer nations or remote locations, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US,have developed a prototype hypodermic needle with a double-barrelled syringe for quick injections.
The barrels are contained one inside the other: inner barrel contains the viscous medication, while the outer one contains a biocompatible lubricating fluid. Both barrels are activated simultaneously by pressing on a single plunger. As the medication flows out of the inner barrel, it gets coated with a thin layer of the lubricant. This allows the two liquids to easily pass through the needle.
In lab tests, even the most viscous medication required just one seventh the injection force that would otherwise be required. In addition, the biologics are subjected to very little in the way of damaging shear stress as they go through the needle.
As such, the double-barrelled needle could conceivably also find use in the field of 3D bioprinting for extruding fragile cells and biological tissues.
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
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