Skin patches could replace flu jab

19th July 2010 - Rolling up your sleeve for flu jabs could one day be a thing of the past, say US scientists, who’ve developed skin patches covered with microneedles. US Georgia Tech researchers say the tiny needles are designed to deliver vaccine painlessly to the outer layers of the skin, dissolving on contact.

The new method would be welcome news for people who are afraid of needles, and the researchers say the patches could be put on by people without medical training - or people could be allowed to use the patches themselves during a flu pandemic. The patches use a dry formulation and are said to be easier to store and distribute.

Flu prevention tips

The most effective way to slow the spread of flu is to avoid passing along germs. The HPA recommends taking these simple steps:

• Always wash your hands
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
• Dispose of used tissues promptly
• Clean hard surfaces frequently
• Make sure children follow this advice
  

See more articles, news and more about the flu in the UK:

• Swine flu news and more
• Latest news about the flu in the UK
• Flu symptoms
• FAQ about Flu Jab shortage

 

Eliminating needles also removes the need for ‘sharps’ disposal for used needles and syringes.

Microneedle benefits

Details of a study using dissolving microneedle patches in a trial with mice are reported online in the journal Nature Medicine. Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology believe their study is the first to evaluate the immunisation benefits of dissolving microneedles.

Professor Mark Prausnitz from Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering says in a news release: "In this study, we have shown that a dissolving microneedle patch can vaccinate against influenza at least as well, and probably better than, a traditional hypodermic needle."

The tiny needles used in the study are 650 microns long - 0.65mm - and built into 100 needles patches.

One group of mice were vaccinated using normal hypodermic needles into muscle; another group had the vaccine with dissolving microneedles on the skin; a control group was given patches without vaccine.

30 days later the mice were infected with the flu virus. Both groups that had received the vaccine remained healthy, while mice in the control group contracted the disease and died.

Delivering the vaccine to the skin - rather than under it with a needle - appears to provide improved flu immunity, say the researchers.

Three months after vaccination, the researchers also exposed different groups of immunised mice to the flu virus and found that animals vaccinated with microneedles appeared to have a better ‘recall’ response to the virus and were able to fight the virus more effectively than those who had needle jabs.

The researchers write: “These results suggest that dissolving microneedle patches can provide a new technology for simpler and safer vaccination with improved immunogenicity that could facilitate increased vaccination coverage.”

Professor Richard Compans, professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory University School of Medicine, says in a news release: "The skin is a particularly attractive site for immunisation because it contains an abundance of the types of cells that are important in generating immune responses to vaccines."

Other vaccines

The researchers believe the technique would work for other immunisations. If they were mass-produced, they expect the microneedle patches to cost about the same as traditional jabs, but with reduced training and disposal costs.

In August 2009, the Georgia Tech team reported to the American Chemical Society that it hoped to be conducting human trials of the flu patches in 2010. It was also suggested that microneedles could be used to deliver medication to the eye to treat macular degeneration.

In depth clinical studies will be needed to check the technique for safety and effectiveness.