Uneedle develops microneedles for drug injections into the skin or eye. To ensure full traceability—from production to end-user—each microneedle needs a unique code. Applying, detecting, and reading these codes reliably is a major challenge.
Within the Single Needle Tracking project, MESA+ NanoLab (University of Twente) is developing a production process to etch a unique passive identification (UID) into each microneedle, without adding any materials. This ensures compatibility with certified medical applications. Z-tech Solutions is developing the reading technology to detect these codes quickly and reliably.
This innovation not only enables traceability of medical microneedles but also opens the door to chip-level coding in other high-tech products.
The consortium consists of Uneedle B.V. (Enschede), MESA+ NanoLab (Enschede), and Z-tech Solutions B.V. (Oldenzaal). Running from January 2025 to September 2027, the project has a total budget of over €3.2 million, including €1.59 million in EU funding. This financial support underscores the significance of traceability and innovation in medical technology.
