Scientists at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a 3D printed vaccine patch that provides more protection than injection vaccination. This was reported on the website of the University of North Carolina.
The main difference between the patch and conventional medicinal patches is the presence of 3D-printed needles on a polymer substrate, the length of which is only enough to reach the skin and deliver the substance. According to an animal study published by a group of scientists in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the resulting immune response from the vaccine was 10 times stronger than when it was injected into the muscle of the arm with a needle.
According to study leader Joseph M. DeSimone, the scientists hope to lay the groundwork for a faster vaccine industry that can be used at lower doses without pain or anxiety. It is noted that the patch is easy to use, painless, effective, and less invasive than a needle. You can even put it yourself on your own.
Since the patch is made using 3D printing, it will be possible to select a specific version of needles for vaccines against influenza, hepatitis, measles and coronavirus, as well as other diseases.
At the same time, the researchers said, the vaccine patch with microneedles cannot be considered a variant of the classic subcutaneous injection, since when it is used, the response of T cells and antigen-specific antibodies is 50 times stronger.
Scientists are currently working to make Pfizer and Moderna a ready-to-use coronavirus vaccine based on this technology.
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