Researchers from Yıldız Technical University, Marmara University, and Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa have developed a microneedle-based therapeutic patch manufactured using a three-dimensional bioprinter. The patch is intended to combine chemotherapy and photothermal therapy on a single platform for treating melanoma, one of the most aggressive types of skin cancer.
The work was conducted at the Health Biotechnology Joint Excellence, Application and Research Center (SABİOTEK), which was established in 2022 with the participation of the three universities and with support from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and the Turkish Health Institutes (TÜSEB). The project was led by Cem Bülent Üstündağ, a professor of bioengineering at Yıldız Technical University and director of SABİOTEK.
How does the patch work?
The hydrogel microneedles contain two functional substances within their structure. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), used therapeutically as a chemotherapeutic agent, was placed at the tips of the needles to deliver it directly to the targeted area and control its release. The base of the system contains graphene quantum dots measuring approximately 5 to 10 nanometers.
When graphene quantum dots are exposed to light, they convert optical energy into heat. The system is intended to raise the local temperature to approximately 42 degrees Celsius, which could disrupt cellular processes in cancer cells and trigger programmed cell death mechanisms. The heat may also help control the release of the chemotherapeutic agent from the microneedles.
What changes in practice?
The basic idea is to concentrate treatment at the tumor site instead of relying exclusively on the drug reaching the area through the bloodstream. The research team believes that reducing the amount of drug reaching the rest of the body could limit the systemic side effects associated with chemotherapy. However, this benefit remains a hypothesis requiring confirmation in later stages and does not represent a clinically established result.
To manufacture the microneedles, the researchers used biomaterials based on sodium alginate and gelatin. They also compared gelatin produced in Türkiye with an international commercial product and said the results showed similar properties, before continuing the work using locally produced gelatin.
The next stage: preclinical studies
Laboratory tests on cancer cells have been completed, while the animal experiments required for the preclinical stage have not yet begun. If successful, the work could proceed to clinical studies, which the team described as lengthy and costly stages. Therefore, the current results do not indicate that a treatment is available to patients or that the patch is ready for medical use.
The team presented the technology under the title 3D-Printed Microneedle Patch for the Treatment of Melanoma via Synergistic Chemotherapy and Photothermal Therapy and said that it received a gold medal and the WIIPA special award at an international competition. The team also filed two patent applications: one for the microneedle system and the other for a testing platform that measures the needles’ ability to penetrate the skin, the forces generated during application, and their reaching the targeted skin layers.
The researchers propose that the patch could eventually be used as a complementary local treatment after surgical removal of a tumor, with the aim of addressing cancer cells remaining in the area. However, this proposed use also requires its effectiveness and safety to be demonstrated through preclinical and clinical studies.