Painless vaccines?
Not everyone is a fan of needles. In fact, there are probably more people who are averse to having needles stuck into their skins. This isn’t surprising as needles are most always associated with pain, sickness, and medication.
Since it’s a part of many medical procedures however, there’s no way around getting shots until new ways of dispensing specific medicines or vaccines can be found. This might soon change though thanks to the medical researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University who have teamed up to create a flu vaccine that is painless, convenient, and hassle-free.
“We’re developing a technology we like to call microneedles. These are needles that we make by using the technology that’s used to make integrated circuits for computers,” said Georgia Tech Professor Mark Prausnitz.
Prausnitz says microscopic needles are coated with flu vaccine that can be barely seen or felt. It allows the vaccine to get into the body.
“Without those tiny needles, if you put the flu vaccine on your skin, none would go in,” according to Prausnitz.
Emory University’s Dr. Ioanna Skountzou says the technology is promising and easy to use. “This is something we hope to put in practice in the very near future. You can apply the patch yourself like a band aid, keep it on for only a short period of time and then dispose it.”
Learn more about this breakthrough here.
Photo credits: Ruud de Jong