COVID-19 vaccines might presently be delivered via a microneedle patch if results from an animal model are repeated in humans . A group of scientist has reported the late breakthrough in the journalACS Nano .
Bothin vitroand in mouse , the team describe that a microneedle patch can deliver a COVID-19 DNA vaccine and raise a strong immune answer . The darn can be stored for 30 days at room temperature , making it a lot more versatile in terms of depot than thethree vaccine presently pass in the US , which must be kept refrigerated or flash-frozen .
While this approach still needs examination in world it would be the first approved COVID-19 DNA vaccine although it would n’t be the first one to be needle - free . The other one isZyCoV - D , an intradermic vaccine applied in three doses via a specific needle - free delivery system , which was approved in India last calendar month .
ZyCoV - D still need to be refrigerated so the microneedle plot of ground has that specific reward . This is one of the reasons why this could be a game - modifier for immunization , peculiarly in develop countries . Another reason that puddle this approach peculiarly exciting is where it fork over the vaccine .
established vaccines are give up intramuscularly , but delivery in the skin is believed to extend to in force immune responses . Our cutis – the human body ’s largest organ – has an copiousness of antigen - presenting cell ( armored personnel carrier ) , so delivering a vaccine there allows the body to learn about the pathogen in a more effectual direction . As with the other , intramuscular vaccines , this approach learn the immune system to accredit the SARS - CoV-2 spike protein – the molecular sweetener used by the COVID-19 computer virus to seize itself to the cells before penetrating them . or else , it can also practice the computer virus nucleocapsid protein .
desoxyribonucleic acid vaccines tend to be more stable and easier to make than RNA ones such as Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech , but the DNA atom has more difficultness being accept into the cell karyon . And that ’s why own lots of APCs matters , as it allows a higher chance for the DNA to enter the nucleus of many of these cells .
The microneedle patch is coated with DNA chronological succession on the control surface of non - toxic nanoparticles that help to generate an immune response . The patch is made of 100 biodegradable microneedles , each little than one - tenth of a bee - stinger . But unlike a bite , this is all painless , penetrating the tegument ’s verboten bed . In black eye , it bring about substantial antibody and T - jail cell reception and had no observable side effects .
