In 2016, West Pharmaceutical Services and Tyndall National Institute began exploring ideas for developing wearable on-body drug delivery systems to overcome the challenges faced by patients using traditional syringes having to selfinject at home. Partnering with PA Consulting, the team focused on creating a concept that could one day be the standard in wearable drug delivery systems.

The ‘smart’ wearable drug delivery concept uses microneedle technology to painlessly deliver medication through the skin. Designed to give patients the ability to self-manage their medication, the prototype delivers doses in a timely manner meaning patients don’t have to worry about remembering their drug regimen. This technology has the potential to be used across a range of chronic conditions, including autoimmune and cancer treatments, and enabling patients to self-manage their treatment in an at-home setting. This research project uses precision microneedles to ensure correct depth of medication delivery into the skin, with embedded sensors providing dose control for patients during injection.The working prototype also utilises innovative features such as a micro pump for precise fluidic control and connectivity to a smartphone app.

A patent application has now been submitted to protect the technology. Licence negotiation was professionally managed by UCC Innovation. The licensed patent confers legal rights to West Pharmaceutical Services concerning the exploitation of the technology. The R&D for this technology was part-funded by the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership programme and supported by IDA Ireland.

Since the initiation of the collaboration with Tyndall in 2016, West Pharmaceutical Services has significantly expanded its R&D operations in Ireland. The value of West /Tyndall collaboration to Ireland was recognised at the Irish Medtech Awards 2023 hosted by the Irish Medtech Association, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland with the drug delivery device innovation being named a finalist in the ‘Collaboration in Medtech’ category.

This case study originally appeared in UCC Innovation's Impact Report for 2023, which can be read here.