Performance studies of a conical nozzle designed for the macromolecular skin delivery.

Human skin is an attractive site for the delivery of protein and peptide-based macromolecular drugs for the treatment of topical and systemic diseases as well as for DNA immunisation. However, the delivery of those macromolecules in or across the skin is undesirably limited due to its permeation property. To expand the number of macromolecules to be delivered to specific targeting tissue/cells, a unique biomedical device, the handheld powdered injection system, has been developed.

Downregulation of IgE antibody and allergic responses in the lung by epidermal biolistic microparticle delivery.

Background: Biolistic injections provide a needle-free delivery of antigen-laden microparticles to the epithelium. The precision of the injection preferentially targets the Langerhans cell network, which, although ideal for vaccination, might not be suitable for the downregulation of immune responses in immunotherapy.

Objective: We sought to determine the ability of biolistic injection of antigen into the epithelium of sensitized mice to inhibit IgE antibody and lung inflammatory responses produced by further exposure to antigen.