Senior man wearing a protective face mask is getting vaccination from a person with white surgical gloves.
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British researchers say they are developing microneedle technology for vaccine delivery, potentially eliminating the need for painful vaccine injections.  

The eventual effect on long-term care operators could be profound. One of the most common problems in such settings is that many residents have multiple illnesses that require drug injections. Because of the public’s general discomfort with needles, there has been a concerted effort in the research community to develop drug delivery systems that minimize pain.

The concept of microneedle technology has been around since the 1970s; its main goal is to deliver drugs transdermally and reduce discomfort. Research into this area has intensified with the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that most COVID-19 vaccines require booster doses (meaning multiple injections), researchers are studying the possibility of using microneedle systems to deliver the vaccine painlessly. 

“Considering the widely acknowledged disadvantages of current vaccine delivery, such as anxiety, pain and the requirement for professional administration, a large shift in this research sphere is imminent,” wrote lead researcher Megan McNamee and her team of researchers from Swansea University in the UK.

In a parallel development, MIT researchers have developed a mobile vaccine printer, which is small enough to fit on a tabletop. 

The main advantage of this device is that vaccines can be stored at room temperature — at present, many vaccines require cold storage. These vaccine patches can then be attached to the skin to be dissolved systemically without pain. 

“This work is particularly exciting as it realizes the ability to produce vaccines on demand,” said Joseph DeSimone, PhD, a professor of translational medicine and chemical engineering at Stanford University. “With the possibility of scaling up vaccine manufacturing and improved stability at higher temperatures, mobile vaccine printers can facilitate widespread access to RNA vaccines.”