Integrating Antifreeze Proteins in Silk Microneedle Patch Delivery

Transdermal drug delivery systems have gained importance as a non-invasive and patient-friendly alternative to conventional administration routes. Among these methods, silk microneedle patches (SMPs) have emerged as a key technology for controlled and painless drug delivery. Here, we implement antifreeze proteins (AFPs) into SMPs as a new class of biomedical freezing materials (FMPs). Such FMPs have great potential in medical cryopreservation. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to image needles and reveal AFP release profiles into skin models, while cryoscopy was used to confirm AFP activity. Our preliminary findings suggest that FMPs can be used to deliver functional AFPs into subdermal tissues, laying the foundation for future work utilizing SMPs in combating frostbite.