Vaccination: a patch is better than an injection
Americans have proven the effectiveness of vaccine patches
Copper newsAmerican scientists have confirmed the effectiveness of the vaccine administration with a patch, according to Physorg (Vaccine-delivery patch with dissolving microneedles eliminates 'sharps,' boosts protection).
A report on the study by a team of specialists led by Mark Prausnitz from the Georgia Institute of Technology is published in the journal Nature Medicine (Sean P Sullivan et al., Dissolving polymer microneedle patches for influenza vaccination).
To compare the effectiveness of the two vaccination methods, the Prosnitsa group conducted a series of experiments on mice.
One group of animals was vaccinated with a special patch about 650 micrometers long. On the sticky side of the patch there are 100 polymer microneedles containing a drug for immunization against influenza. After applying the patch, the microneedles dissolve, and the vaccine enters the upper layer of the skin.
The second group of mice received flu vaccines in the form of conventional injections. The researchers applied patches to animals from the control group that did not contain the vaccine.
30 days after vaccination, scientists tried to infect rodents with influenza. The mice from the control group became ill and died, while the vaccinated animals were resistant to infection. Three months after the vaccine was administered, the researchers exposed the mice to the flu virus again. According to the results of the experiment, the immune system of animals vaccinated with a patch neutralized the virus that entered the body faster than in mice who received an injection of the drug for immunization.
The authors of the study noted that one of the advantages of the new patches is a longer shelf life, since the vaccine in them is presented in solid form and does not need to be frozen. In addition, according to Prosnitz, patients can use this method of immunization on their own, which will significantly reduce the cost of vaccination campaigns.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.07.2010