The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta are working together to develop a microneedle patch that could make it easier to vaccinate people against measles and other preventable diseases.
Healthcare workers with minimal training will be able to administer the microneedle patch — which measures roughly 1 square centimeter — with the press of a thumb. The patch contains 100 solid, conical microneedles that are less than a fraction of a millimeter long and are made of polymer, sugar and vaccine. The needles dissolve into the upper layers of the skin within a few minutes, releasing the vaccine.
The microneedle patches were designed by the CDC and Georgia Tech to be easy to store, distribute and dispose of. Because the patch is more stable at varying temperatures than currently available vaccines, it will be easier to distribute measles vaccines to remote areas.
"Each day, 400 children are killed by measles complications worldwide. With no needles, syringes, sterile water or sharps disposals needed, the microneedle patch offers great hope of a new tool to reach the world's children faster, even in the most remote areas," said James Goodson, PhD, epidemiologist from the CDC’s Global Immunization Division.
According to Dr. Goodson, the advancement would be a major boost in the CDC's efforts to eliminate measles, with more vaccines administered and more lives saved at less cost.
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