Vaccine Patch: The Needle Substitute

Researchers tested a new vaccine patch on mice and results showed that it could provide a more effective immune response than the old fashioned way of immunization. The patch could likewise allow individuals to perform the vaccination on their own.

Basically, each vaccine patch, which was developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University researchers, contains several of 100 microscopic needles that measure 0.65mm. The needles were made to make a way into the skin’s outer layers and dissolve into them once applied.

To test it out, the researches filled the needles with a vaccine for influenza. A group of mice received the traditional vaccine shots, while another group was given the patch. A third group was provided with patches that did not contain any vaccine. Three months since the testing, results showed that the patch produced more effect on the second group of mice than on the first.

Once proven effective in further testing, it would mean the end to the conventional vaccination and turn the process into a painless approach to immunization that people can perform on their own.

Despite using only influenza vaccine during the tests, it was expected to be also useful for several other immunizations and not cost more than syringes. In the next few years, researchers hope to test the vaccine on humans.