Methods and systems for material transport across an impermeable or semi-permeable membrane via artificially created microchannels

A method for transporting a medicant across a stratum corneum layer of a skin and into a dermis layer of the skin, the method comprising:

• a) inserting a hypodermic microneedle into the stratum corneum layer from a top surface, an interior of the hypodermic microneedle in fluid communication with a reservoir containing the medicant, the hypodermic microneedle providing fluid communication between the reservoir and the epidermis layer of the skin;
• b) directing a first acoustic energy field from an acoustic energy source or a first photon-based energy field from a photon-based energy source to the medicant, thereby driving the medicant through the hypodermic microneedle and into the epidermis layer of the skin;
• and
• c) subsequent to the medicant being driven into the epidermis layer of the skin, applying a second acoustic energy field to the medicant, thereby driving the medicant from the epidermis layer of the skin and into the dermis layer of the skin.

A method for transporting a transport target across a membrane that is semi-permeable or impermeable to a transport target, the method comprising:

• a) contacting a top surface of the membrane with the transport target;
• b) creating a microchannel in the membrane, the membrane having a top membrane surface and a bottom membrane surface, the microchannel providing fluid communication between the top membrane surface and a first material layer contacting the bottom membrane surface;
• and
• c) directing a first acoustic energy field from an acoustic energy source or a first photon-based energy field from a photon-based energy source to the transport target, thereby driving the transport target through the microchannel and into the first material layer.