“A vaccine patch could cut out the need for painful needles and boost the effectiveness of immunisation against diseases like flu, say US researchers. The patch has hundreds of microscopic needles which dissolve into the skin. Tests in mice show the technology may even produce a better immune response than a conventional jab. Writing in Nature Medicine, the team of researchers said the patch could one day enable people to vaccinate themselves.
Each patch, developed by researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, contains 100 “microneedles” which are just 0.65mm in length. They are designed to penetrate the outer layers of skin, dissolving on contact.
To test the technology, the researchers loaded the needles with an influenza vaccine. One group of mice received the influenza vaccine using traditional hypodermic needles and another group were vaccinated with the patch. Patches that had no vaccine on them were applied to a third group of mice. Three months down the line the team found the patch appeared to produce a more effective immune response in mice, then infected with the flu virus, than a standard vaccination.”
Read more at BBC News (Thanks @XxLadyClaireXx)
Fascinating!! Hopefully this will progress further to other areas of injection administration. People who have needle phobias for instance, not to mention the risks involved in administration i.e needlestick injuries and infection control issues!
Aww they are still tessting on mice (N) sounds good anywaay..
I wonder how long until someone develops patch phobia. As lab mice go getting a vaccine for flu is probably seen as a good day in the lab, certainally much better than if someone decided to grow a human ear on your back, can spoil your whole day if that happens.
I was going to say ‘YAY goodbye needles’ but that little thing honestly doesn’t look any more attractive to me. >.>
well, duh! it”s about time! they certainly can deliver many more meds via patch than they are doing now.
>.>
Needles aren’t THAT bad for goodness sake!
James, they’re not objectively bad, but show them to my animal brain and I start doing stupid things like hyperventilating and fainting. I think the response may stem from the giant needles they jabbed into my little preemie legs when I was a newborn. *shudders*
The patch is needle-ish, but doesn’t really look like a needle, so I’m thinking I probably wouldn’t mind it. Too bad they can’t use those to draw blood.
i was thinking more of oral medications…which some patients can skillfully fake taking.
a patch would be a lot more effective…an implant even better.
Coooooooooool
I don’t mind needles and I am not scared of injections. I recently had a tattoo done, yay!……but unfortunately something happens to my body and i faint and have a bit of a fit…….oh so much fun 
, LOL. It’s annoying and I hate it!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, those little needles dissolve away in the skin .. that is good .. it reminded me immediately about a certain type of cactur when started reading …
Makes you wonder huh .. why they make those needles so darn long .. if the immunity cells are right underneath the skin surface already … No more than a scratch needed apparently, just rub the stuff in there …
No wait .. inlfuenza needles are not that long .. in fact, you hardly feel them … Why would we need patches I’d say. It’s the other vaccinations that use fat long painfull needles … Yeah, they will develop patches with at least 2 cm long microscopic needles on them … hm ..
I wonder what material these ‘needles’ on those patches are made off .. why don’t they break before entering the skin I’d say?