Vaccine patch - no more needles!

This sounds cool - can't wait for the results of the clinical trials!
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic ... hurt_a_bit
Vaccination patch could make immunizations ouchless
By Laura Sanders
Web edition : Sunday, July 18th, 2010

researchers have invented a new vaccine-delivery system that replaces the large single needle with 100 tiny dissolvable ones embedded in a Band-Aid–like patch. The new patch can immunize mice against influenza just as effectively as conventional needle vaccination, its developers report online July 18 in Nature Medicine. Once the microneedles pierce the skin, they dissolve into the surrounding bodily fluid, releasing the vaccine in the process. The whole thing takes anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes, Sullivan says.

The new patch might actually be more effective than shots at generating an immune response, the researchers say. With the microneedle patch, the vaccine is delivered into the immune-cell–rich skin. A number of studies have shown that skin-based delivery of vaccines is more effective than injections into muscle, says study coauthor Mark Prausnitz of Georgia Tech. Because of this stronger response, the patch might make it possible to get equal protection with lower doses of vaccine.

Prausnitz says that the cost of the microneedle patch would be similar to current needle-based vaccines. He adds that the technology is ready for clinical trials, which he anticipates in the next couple of years.

Oops, forgot to link to the original paper:
http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/n ... .2182.html

SS109 - the needles are the length of the width of a nickle; they only penetrate to the dermis layer, are smaller in diameter, and dissolve. Not as many pain receptors in that layer of skin, and since the "needles" are smaller in diameter, it's much less likely that one will be hit and trigger a pain stimulus.

SS109 wrote: I was just kidding about the pain. It surely sounds worse than it is.

I know a guy who wears a nicotine patch on his rear, and every time he feels like he needs a pick me up, he slaps himself in the butt.

rofllol rofllol His coworkers must wonder about him!

Update from the original researchers. No clinical trials yet, but they've successfully tested it on mice which is a good step forward.

No more injections: dried sugar used to create microneedle array
Feb. 8, 2013 (8:28 am) By: Matthew Humphries

As the needles are tiny you can’t feel them piercing your skin. And because they are formed from dried sugar, they easily dissolve and allow the vaccine to enter your body.

The live vaccine is kept in dried form as part of the array, meaning it is much easier to keep viable for longer periods of time than in liquid form. That’s also going to save a lot of money, especially when transporting vaccines to hard to reach areas of the world. No needles also means no contamination as every patient will use a new microneedle array.

[youtube:2e5z4erm][/youtube:2e5z4erm]
Published on Feb 5, 2013

Scientists at King's have demonstrated the ability to deliver a dried live vaccine to the skin without a traditional needle, and shown for the first time that this technique is powerful enough to enable specialised immune cells in the skin to kick-start the immunising properties of the vaccine.

Dr Linda Klavinskis from the Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology at King's explains the research behind the new technique and its wider potential.