By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Painless Vaccinations Coming Soon!
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Devices > Painless Vaccinations Coming Soon!
Medical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

Painless Vaccinations Coming Soon!

joan justice
joan justice
Share
4 Min Read
nanopatch vaccine
SHARE

Painless vaccinations? Really?  

Yes!  Queensland University biomedical engineer Mark Kendall is developing a Nanopatch vaccine that will be delivered via a patch the size of a postage stamp placed on the skin.

Mark Kendall is Chief Technical Officer and Director at Vaxxas, a venture capital funded technology start-up company focused on enhancing the performance of existing and next generation vaccines through the development and commercialization of the Nanopatch.

Painless vaccinations? Really?  

More Read

Sensors and Smartphones Bring the Baby Monitor Into 2013
5 Bits of Actionable Info from AAOS 2014 for Your Ortho Department
A Virtual Nurse for Hospital Discharge
The Keys To Maintaining Safety With Medical Equipment
Connectivity In Medical Devices Provides Critical Information in Real Time

Yes!  Queensland University biomedical engineer Mark Kendall is developing a Nanopatch vaccine that will be delivered via a patch the size of a postage stamp placed on the skin.

Mark Kendall is Chief Technical Officer and Director at Vaxxas, a venture capital funded technology start-up company focused on enhancing the performance of existing and next generation vaccines through the development and commercialization of the Nanopatch.

Besides the obvious benefit of painless delivery, the Nanopatch would mean that the vaccine is stored in dry form and could withstand soaring temperatures.  No risk of health workers being stuck with needles, no need for sterile disposable needles at all.

Most immune cells are just under the skin, not in the muscle where traditional vaccines are delivered via intra-muscular injection.  The Nanopatch delivers the vaccine directly to the immune cells under the skin. Since it reaches these cells faster than the traditional approach, lower doses of the vaccine are effective, reducing production costs significantly.

During a BBC interview, Kendall explained,

“The projections on the Nanopatch work with the skin’s immune system.  We target these cells that reside just a hair’s breadth from the surface of the skin.  It seems that we may have been missing the immune sweet spot which may be in the skin rather than the muscle which is where traditional needles go.  A vaccine that had cost $10 can be brought down to just 10 cents, which is very important in the developing world”.

nanopatch vaccine

Mark Kendall presented the technology at the recent TEDGlobal2013 in Edinburg, Scotland and told the audience there that the Nanopatch is beginning a pilot test in Papua, New Guinea.  The nation has the highest rate of HPV and yet there are only 800 refrigerators to keep vaccines cold.  The Nanopatch could really help under those conditions. Image

“Half of the vaccines in Africa are not working properly because refrigeration has failed at some point in the chain,” says Dr Kendall.  When he told the TED audience that the vaccine on the Nanopatch could maintain its strength even when kept at 73 degrees Farenheit for up to a year, the audience applauded.

The patch is about one centimeter by one centimeter, so it is not small.  But the projections on it are microscopic and are coated with a dry version of the vaccine.  As you push the patch onto the skin, the projections push through the outer skin layer, become wet and reach down onto the immune cells where we want the vaccine to go.

Listen to this video as Dr Mark Kendall explains the Nanopatch:

Sources:

http://www.vaxxas.com/about-vaxxas

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/13/nanopatch-vaccine

http://blog.ted.com/2013/06/12/vaccines-via-a-patch-mark-kendall-at-tedglobal-2013/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22882446

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/nanopatch-nopain-vaccination-gets-a-boost

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/us-vaccines-nanopatch-idUSBRE9090GG20130110

TAGGED:Nanopatchvaccinationvaccines
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

person-woman-desk-laptop.jpg
Medical Innovations

Clinical Trial Recruitment Success Demands a Patient-First Approach

October 25, 2016
Medical EducationNewsTechnology

How Precision Medicine And Big Data Will Be The Future Of Healthcare

January 6, 2020
blockchain in healthcare for the NHS
Technology

How Blockchain Can Help the National Health Service

March 27, 2023
healthcare trends
Global HealthcareMedical InnovationsMobile HealthTechnology

7 Healthcare Trends to Watch Out for in the Remainder of 2014

September 10, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?