Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo

Xiaoyong Tang; Pengfei Wu; Dongxu Ma; Zixiao Yu; Yuxing Pang; Yuxuan Chen; Yingjie Ren; Zhongyan Wang; Xiaoyi Shi; Zigang Ge; Yuanyu Huang; Jingquan Liu; Zhitong Zhang; Zhihong Li

doi:10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo

Xiaoyong Tang
, Pengfei Wu
, Dongxu Ma
, Zixiao Yu
, Yuxing Pang
, Yuxuan Chen
, Yingjie Ren
, Zhongyan Wang
, Xiaoyi Shi
, Zigang Ge
, Yuanyu Huang
, Jingquan Liu
, Zhitong Zhang^*
, Zhihong Li^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Peking University
Beijing Institute of Technology
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Zhongguancun Academy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

In this work, we report a novel tool for drug delivery and in vivo electroporation using a hollow microneedle electrode array (HMEA). The hollow microneedles are used for drug delivery and also serve as electrodes for electroporation, eliminating the cumbersome steps in traditional techniques where drugs are pre-administered with a syringe and then electroporation is performed with microneedle electrodes. The HMEA is more flexible and enables painless drug delivery. The electroporation voltage is applied on the microneedle body, avoiding the drawbacks of existing techniques where electrodes are implanted into the body through minimally invasive surgery and the voltage is conducted within the body. The HMEA is convenient to operate and safe. Additionally, the microneedles are fabricated through 3D printing and can be customized for both superficial and deep tissues with different electroporation regions. The microneedles can penetrate the stratum corneum, reducing resistance and enabling drug delivery through electroporation at low voltages. All these advantages offer great potential for practical clinical applications.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages	478-481
Number of pages	4
ISBN (Electronic)	9798331572518
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457
Publication status	Published - 2026
Externally published	Yes
Event	39th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026 - Salzburg, Austria Duration: 25 Jan 2026 → 29 Jan 2026

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
ISSN (Print)	1084-6999

Conference

Conference	39th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026
Country/Territory	Austria
City	Salzburg
Period	25/01/26 → 29/01/26

Keywords

Drug delivery
Electrode array
Electroporation
Hollow microneedle

Access to Document

10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

Cite this

Tang, X., Wu, P., Ma, D., Yu, Z., Pang, Y., Chen, Y., Ren, Y., Wang, Z., Shi, X., Ge, Z., Huang, Y., Liu, J., Zhang, Z., & Li, Z. (2026). Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo. In 2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026 (pp. 478-481). (Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

Tang, Xiaoyong ; Wu, Pengfei ; Ma, Dongxu et al. / Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA) : A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo. 2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2026. pp. 478-481 (Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)).

@inproceedings{8aeda5ef055c4dea9a4d60fdca7207f8,

title = "Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo",

abstract = "In this work, we report a novel tool for drug delivery and in vivo electroporation using a hollow microneedle electrode array (HMEA). The hollow microneedles are used for drug delivery and also serve as electrodes for electroporation, eliminating the cumbersome steps in traditional techniques where drugs are pre-administered with a syringe and then electroporation is performed with microneedle electrodes. The HMEA is more flexible and enables painless drug delivery. The electroporation voltage is applied on the microneedle body, avoiding the drawbacks of existing techniques where electrodes are implanted into the body through minimally invasive surgery and the voltage is conducted within the body. The HMEA is convenient to operate and safe. Additionally, the microneedles are fabricated through 3D printing and can be customized for both superficial and deep tissues with different electroporation regions. The microneedles can penetrate the stratum corneum, reducing resistance and enabling drug delivery through electroporation at low voltages. All these advantages offer great potential for practical clinical applications.",

keywords = "Drug delivery, Electrode array, Electroporation, Hollow microneedle",

author = "Xiaoyong Tang and Pengfei Wu and Dongxu Ma and Zixiao Yu and Yuxing Pang and Yuxuan Chen and Yingjie Ren and Zhongyan Wang and Xiaoyi Shi and Zigang Ge and Yuanyu Huang and Jingquan Liu and Zhitong Zhang and Zhihong Li",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 IEEE.; 39th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026 ; Conference date: 25-01-2026 Through 29-01-2026",

year = "2026",

doi = "10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457",

language = "English",

series = "Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)",

publisher = "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.",

pages = "478--481",

booktitle = "2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026",

address = "United States",

}

Tang, X, Wu, P, Ma, D, Yu, Z, Pang, Y, Chen, Y, Ren, Y, Wang, Z, Shi, X, Ge, Z, Huang, Y, Liu, J, Zhang, Z & Li, Z 2026, Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo. in 2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., pp. 478-481, 39th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026, Salzburg, Austria, 25/01/26. https://doi.org/10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo. / Tang, Xiaoyong; Wu, Pengfei; Ma, Dongxu et al.
2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2026. p. 478-481 (Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA)

T2 - 39th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026

AU - Tang, Xiaoyong

AU - Wu, Pengfei

AU - Ma, Dongxu

AU - Yu, Zixiao

AU - Pang, Yuxing

AU - Chen, Yuxuan

AU - Ren, Yingjie

AU - Wang, Zhongyan

AU - Shi, Xiaoyi

AU - Ge, Zigang

AU - Huang, Yuanyu

AU - Liu, Jingquan

AU - Zhang, Zhitong

AU - Li, Zhihong

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - In this work, we report a novel tool for drug delivery and in vivo electroporation using a hollow microneedle electrode array (HMEA). The hollow microneedles are used for drug delivery and also serve as electrodes for electroporation, eliminating the cumbersome steps in traditional techniques where drugs are pre-administered with a syringe and then electroporation is performed with microneedle electrodes. The HMEA is more flexible and enables painless drug delivery. The electroporation voltage is applied on the microneedle body, avoiding the drawbacks of existing techniques where electrodes are implanted into the body through minimally invasive surgery and the voltage is conducted within the body. The HMEA is convenient to operate and safe. Additionally, the microneedles are fabricated through 3D printing and can be customized for both superficial and deep tissues with different electroporation regions. The microneedles can penetrate the stratum corneum, reducing resistance and enabling drug delivery through electroporation at low voltages. All these advantages offer great potential for practical clinical applications.

AB - In this work, we report a novel tool for drug delivery and in vivo electroporation using a hollow microneedle electrode array (HMEA). The hollow microneedles are used for drug delivery and also serve as electrodes for electroporation, eliminating the cumbersome steps in traditional techniques where drugs are pre-administered with a syringe and then electroporation is performed with microneedle electrodes. The HMEA is more flexible and enables painless drug delivery. The electroporation voltage is applied on the microneedle body, avoiding the drawbacks of existing techniques where electrodes are implanted into the body through minimally invasive surgery and the voltage is conducted within the body. The HMEA is convenient to operate and safe. Additionally, the microneedles are fabricated through 3D printing and can be customized for both superficial and deep tissues with different electroporation regions. The microneedles can penetrate the stratum corneum, reducing resistance and enabling drug delivery through electroporation at low voltages. All these advantages offer great potential for practical clinical applications.

KW - Drug delivery

KW - Electrode array

KW - Electroporation

KW - Hollow microneedle

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041710421

U2 - 10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

DO - 10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:105041710421

T3 - Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)

SP - 478

EP - 481

BT - 2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026

PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Y2 - 25 January 2026 through 29 January 2026

ER -

Tang X, Wu P, Ma D, Yu Z, Pang Y, Chen Y et al. Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo. In 2026 IEEE 39th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2026. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2026. p. 478-481. (Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)). doi: 10.1109/MEMS64181.2026.11419457

Hollow Microneedle Electrode Array (HMEA): A Tool for Drug Delivery and Low-Voltage Electroporation in Vivo

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this