A 3D Printed Vaccine Patch Offers Vaccination Without A Shot | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Scientists at Stanford University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill use 3D printer to create vaccine patch. Credit: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sept. 24, 2021 (MedicalXpress) -- Scientists at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a 3D-printed vaccine patch that provides greater protection than a typical vaccine shot.

The trick is applying the vaccine patch directly to the skin, which is full of immune cells that vaccines target.

The resulting immune response from the vaccine patch was 10 times greater than vaccine delivered into an arm muscle with a needle jab, according to a study conducted in animals and published by the team of scientists in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Considered a breakthrough are the 3D-printed microneedles lined up on a polymer patch and barely long enough to reach the skin to deliver vaccine.

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