A new biodegradable microneedle patch developed by researchers at Texas A and M University may offer a major advance in the treatment of heart damage that occurs after a heart attack. The study, published in Cell Biomaterials and supported by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, demonstrates a targeted delivery system that places healing molecules directly into injured heart tissue while avoiding side effects in the rest of the body.
Microneedle devices consist of hundreds of tiny needles arranged on a small, flexible patch. When applied, the needles bypass the outer barrier of the skin and deliver drugs into deeper layers where they can enter circulation. In cardiac applications, the concept is adapted to allow direct attachment of the patch to the surface of the heart.
Each microscopic needle in the new patch contains particles loaded with interleukin 4, an immune regulating molecule. Once the patch is placed on the surface of the injured heart, the needles dissolve and release interleukin 4 exactly where repair is needed. Researchers describe the patch as a delivery bridge that allows medication to pass through the outer layer of the heart and reach damaged muscle cells that are normally difficult to access.
A heart attack deprives cardiac muscle of oxygen, causing cell death and leading the body to form stiff scar tissue. Scar formation stabilizes the injured area but reduces the heart’s ability to contract efficiently, often progressing to heart failure. Localized delivery of interleukin 4 shifted the activity of macrophages, the immune cells responsible for wound repair, away from inflammation and toward regeneration. This reduced scar formation and led to improved cardiac function in preclinical models.
The targeted approach also addresses safety concerns seen with earlier attempts to use interleukin 4 systemically, which caused unwanted immune reactions throughout the body. By confining treatment to heart tissue, the microneedle patch avoids these complications.
The researchers also observed improved communication between heart muscle cells and neighboring endothelial cells that regulate blood vessel repair. Signaling through pathways such as NPR1 increased, supporting vascular stability and cardiac recovery. Inflammatory signals from endothelial cells were reduced, lowering the risk of further injury to surrounding tissue.
The findings build on growing interest in microneedle-based strategies for cardiovascular care. Recent reviews, including one published in Drug Delivery and Translational Research, note that microneedle patches can provide mechanical support, deliver regenerative drugs or stem cells, and integrate directly with injured tissue after a heart attack. The technology may overcome major limitations of systemic therapy by ensuring concentrated delivery at the site of injury while keeping the rest of the body exposed to minimal drug levels.
Although early, experts say the new results provide important evidence that targeted microneedle systems may represent the next frontier in cardiac repair. The approach could help reduce long-term heart failure risk and improve recovery for patients who survive a heart attack. Further research will be needed to confirm safety and effectiveness in human studies, but investigators believe the technology has strong potential for clinical translation.
Reference
- Huang K, Zhu D, Soto J, Hu S, Fang J, Huang J, et al. Immunomodulatory microneedle patch for cardiac repair in rodent and porcine models of myocardial infarction. Cell Biomaterials. 2025 Oct 28;1(9):100152.
- Waghule T, Singhvi G, Dubey SK, Pandey MM, Gupta G, Singh M, et al. Microneedles: A smart approach and increasing potential for transdermal drug delivery system. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2019 Jan 1;109:1249–58.
- Kaur SD, Choudhary S, Sen S, Pemmaraju DB, Singh SK, Kapoor DN. Microneedle patches: the next frontier in cardiovascular care. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2025 Sep;15(9):2951-2966.