July 2025 in “Interdisciplinary materials” This study found that a microneedle patch integrating curcumin-loaded vesicles and a stem cell-derived matrix showed promise in reducing hypertrophic scars and promoting hair follicle formation in a rabbit model.
January 2025 in “Journal of Materials Chemistry B” This research highlights the potential of using nanomaterials with advanced reactive oxygen properties to target oxidative stress in hair follicle tissue, which is associated with androgenetic alopecia, addressing a gap in the current understanding of AGA treatments.
2 citations
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August 2023 in “Life” This review highlights the transformative potential of bioinspired polymers in biomedical engineering, focusing on their roles in enhancing tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and other biomedical applications, with innovations including mimicking the extracellular matrix, self-healing, antibacterial properties, and cancer therapy.
68 citations
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March 2018 in “Biomaterials” This study found that in vivo, a novel microneedle system for valproic acid delivery may improve hair regrowth efficacy by upregulating hair follicle development pathways more effectively than topical application.
12 citations
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April 2025 in “Discover Pharmaceutical Sciences” This review examines microneedle patches for drug delivery, detailing their designs, materials, manufacturing methods, and potential advantages, but reports no new clinical results.
67 citations
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January 2022 in “Theranostics” This review highlights how advanced nanocarrier and microneedle-based transdermal drug delivery strategies can potentially improve the treatment of skin diseases by enhancing site-specific drug delivery, increasing skin penetration, and reducing systemic toxicity compared to conventional methods.
42 citations
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January 2021 in “Journal of Clinical Medicine” This review discusses advancements in the use of microneedle arrays and nanoparticles for transdermal delivery of therapeutics, noting challenges in overcoming the skin barrier and summarizing recent clinical trial achievements in areas like cancer therapy and gene therapy.
38 citations
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July 2021 in “ACS Nano” This study found that a ceria nanozyme-integrated microneedles patch accelerated hair regeneration in an androgenetic alopecia mouse model more effectively than minoxidil, with reduced application frequency and minimal skin damage.
28 citations
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November 2020 in “Journal of Controlled Release” In this study, microneedles combined with finasteride nanostructured lipid carriers (FIN-NLC-MNs) were found to enhance skin penetration and specifically target hair follicles, promoting hair growth and gene regulation in androgenetic alopecia.
January 2026 in “International Journal of Applied Pharmaceutics” This review discusses the integration of nanoparticles with microneedles to improve drug delivery through enhanced stability, bioavailability, and controlled release, noting ongoing challenges with stability, scalability, and safety.
January 2026 in “Nanoscale Advances” This review provides an overview of microneedle-assisted photomedicine, detailing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, design principles, and challenges for translating this approach to skin disease management.
September 2025 in “Medical Materials Research” This review explores the recent developments and diverse applications of microneedles in drug delivery and diagnostic platforms but reports no new clinical results.
In this study, a pH-responsive microneedle patch was developed, showing potential in rat models for treating spinal cord injuries by reducing inflammation, promoting nerve regeneration, and supporting neurogenesis, which contributed to improved motor and neurological recovery.
April 2026 in “International Journal of Nanomedicine” This review explores quercetin's potential in multifunctional theranostic systems, highlighting its bioactivity and the challenges of improving its clinical application through innovative strategies like nanoencapsulation, while noting that research in this area is underdeveloped.
17 citations
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April 2023 in “ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering” This study explored the potential of silk fibroin methacrylate hydrogel microneedles to deliver α-MSH directly to the epidermis in vitiligo patients, enhancing melanocyte protection and melanosome transfer, potentially offering a new treatment avenue for this challenging condition.
81 citations
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October 2023 in “Bioactive Materials” This review highlights the promising potential of 3D printing for creating microneedles with precise customization and improved performance compared to traditional micromolding, emphasizing applications in personalized medical devices and advancements in biomedical fields.
21 citations
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June 2024 in “Pharmaceuticals” This review examines the potential of swellable microneedles in drug delivery and diagnostics, highlighting innovations and challenges in their use for chronic disease treatment, but noting that issues like physiological responsiveness and long-term stability still require research.
14 citations
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December 2024 in “Pharmaceutics” This review examines hydrogel microneedles for transdermal drug delivery, discussing their applications and challenges but reports no new clinical results.
7 citations
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August 2025 in “Journal of Nanobiotechnology” This review highlights the potential of microneedles and nanomedicine in advancing tissue regeneration, emphasizing their innovative, localized, and minimally invasive approaches as promising solutions to current challenges in treating chronic wounds and degenerative diseases.
May 2026 in “Organoid Research” This review discusses recent advancements in hair follicle organoid technology for alopecia treatment but presents no new experimental results, emphasizing the potential for clinical applications and drug screening.
October 2025 in “Bioactive Materials” This review highlights the potential of microneedle technology in traditional Chinese medicine as a promising transdermal delivery system for skin diseases, showcasing improved efficacy and reduced side effects of TCM ingredients while discussing the challenges of its clinical application.
March 2024 in “Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences” This review discusses the design strategies and applications of long-acting polymeric microneedles, noting their potential to improve patient compliance and reduce side effects in chronic disease management, but reports no new experimental results.
September 2025 in “Journal of Polymer Science” This review article highlighted the diverse applications of functionalized materials from bacterial cellulose, detailing advances in both in situ and ex situ methods for enhancing these materials' properties, particularly for medical applications, and proposed directions for future research.
This study found that a bioorthogonal microneedle patch delivering AAV-aFGF effectively improved hair follicle regeneration and sustained hair growth in murine alopecia models compared to other methods.
91 citations
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August 2024 in “Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B” This review explores how microneedles can improve the delivery of dermatological treatments by bypassing the skin's outer barrier, discussing their potential use in managing skin diseases, cosmetic applications, and challenges related to clinical adoption.
40 citations
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January 2022 in “Frontiers in Chemistry” This study found that a microneedle array patch using a blend of kangfuxin, chitosan, and fucoidan significantly accelerated wound healing in rats by enhancing epithelial thickness and collagen deposition.
39 citations
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February 2024 in “Small” This review discusses the evolution and development of smart and multifunctional microneedles, highlighting their potential future importance in medical applications, but it reports no new experimental results.
35 citations
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November 2024 in “Gels” This review discusses hydrogel-forming microneedles for non-invasive drug delivery in dermatology and reports no new clinical results, emphasizing their promise in improving treatment adherence and patient comfort.
25 citations
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December 2013 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” This review discusses recent advancements in cutaneous drug delivery technologies and the potential of transfollicular pathways for improved treatment of skin conditions, but reports no clinical results.
9 citations
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June 2025 in “Frontiers in Pharmacology” This review highlights recent advancements in microneedle technology, noting its ability to enhance transdermal drug delivery, biosensing, cancer treatment, and skin disease repair, while emphasizing its potential for improving patient compliance and reducing side effects.