Nanopatch Could Revolutionize Vaccine Delivery

Imagine a device that could be used to administer vaccines without the need for a needle.

Mark Kendall, PhD, lecturer at the University of Queensland, Australia, has developed such a system. Known as the Nanopatch drug delivery system, the technology is revealed in a lecture video in which Kendall describes the advantages of the system and also how it is used. Employing a spring-loaded applicator, he applies a Nanopatch to the inside of his wrist.

First described in a paper published in the August 16, 2010, issue of the journal Small, the Nanopatch is a 1-cm-sq silicon square with about 20,000 microprojections, invisible to the naked eye, on its surface. When applied to the skin with the applicator, this array penetrates through the protective outer skin layer (stratum corneum) and delivers vaccine to the immune-cell-rich layers just beneath. The microprojections are optimized in length and spacing to maximize the efficacy of the system.

"What we have been able to show for the first time is that the Nanopatch is completely dissolvable," Kendall said. "That means zero needles, zero sharps, zero opportunity for contamination and zero chance of needle-stick injury. The World Health Organization estimates that 30 percent of vaccinations in Africa are unsafe due to cross contamination caused by needle-stick injury. That's a healthcare burden of about $25 per administration."

Kendall is president of Vaxxas Pty Ltd, which he formed to commercialize the Nanopatch technology. And apparently he has caught the attention of the right people, as in October 2012 pharma giant Merck invested an undisclosed sum to help develop the Nanopatch in return for certain future rights. "We are pleased to collaborate with Merck, a recognized global leader in vaccines, to apply our technology with their expertise in vaccines research," said David L. Hoey, CEO of Vaxxas. "This collaboration underscores the potential of our Nanopatch platform to effectively deliver advanced vaccines and supports our strategic approach of partnering with leaders in vaccine development. Being both painless and needle-free, the Nanopatch offers hope for those with needle phobia, as well as improving the vaccination experience for young children."

"When compared to a needle and syringe, a Nanopatch is cheap to produce and it is easy to imagine a situation in which a Government might provide vaccinations for a pandemic such as swine flu to be collected from a chemist or sent in the mail," Kendall said.