An innovatory vaccine skin patch could slash the need for painful needles and improve the efficiency of vaccination against diseases such as flu, said US researchers. The skin patch contains hundreds of microscopic needles which infiltrate the outer layer of the skin and then liquefy, discharging a dose of influenza vaccine.
Lab test on mice have shown that new technology can generate a better immune response than a traditional jab. The skin patch could one day enable people to vaccinate themselves. Each skin patch contains one-hundred micro needles that are just 0.65mm in length. They are designed to infiltrate the outer layers of skin, and liquefy when get in touch.
Researcher Dr Sean Sullivan and team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, in America tested the technology on different groups of mice. One group of mice was given the influenza vaccine with traditional hypodermic neddle and another group was vaccinated with the skin patch. A third group was given a placebo patch containing no vaccine.
Three months after the vaccination, researchers found that skin patch seemed to produce a more effective immune response in mice to flu virus that standard vaccination. If proved effective in more trails, the skin patch would end the requirement of medical training to deliver vaccine and spin the vaccination into painless process that people could do themselves.
During a pandemic, skin patch could also simplify large-scale vaccination. Though the study only considered flu vaccine, it is hoped the technology could be useful for other immunisations and would not cost any more than using a needle. They imagine people getting the patch in the mail and then self-administering it at home, said study leader Dr Sean Sullivan.