New dermal patch delivers influenza vaccine for needle phobics

PVP microneedles confer better immunity compared to intramuscular injections in mice.

Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia have developed a new method for influenza prophylaxis, published in Nature Medicine [1].

Sullivan et al. has fabricated plastic microneedles made of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to encapsulate a dried form of inactivated influenza virus. The microneedles penetrate the skin up to the portion of the dermis where antigen-presenting cells are present, and where PVP encapsulation dissolves and releases the influenza vaccine.


Mice studies confirm that dermal delivery elicits the same antibody response compared to intramuscular injections. Interestingly, dermally-treated mice have a 1000-fold more efficient clearance of the influenza virus from the lungs 90 days after mice were given a lethal dose. These mice have more antibody-secreting cells in the spleen and lungs[2].

This study is a great breakthrough in vaccine delivery, since skin patches are cheap, simple, and pain-free. Dissolving microneedle patches can provide a new technology for simpler and safer vaccination with improved immunogenicity that could facilitate increased vaccination coverage, particularly for needle phobics.

The research group from Emory University has previously developed a vaccine-coated metal microneedle array for transdermal inactivated H3N2 influenza virus delivery[3]. This metal microneedle array can also induce strong humoral and cellular immune responses capable of conferring protection against virus challenge as efficiently as intramuscular immunization.

References:

[1] Sullivan, S. P. et al. (2010 September). Dissolving polymer microneedle patches for influenza vaccination. Nature Med. 16, 915–920.

[2] Man Tsuey Tse. (2010 September). Biotechnology: Skin patch flu vaccine shows promise. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 9, 680-681. doi:10.1038/nrd3258.

[3] Koutsonanos DG, Martin MdP, Zarnitsyn VG, Sullivan SP, Compans RW, et al. (2009 March). Transdermal Influenza Immunization with Vaccine-Coated Microneedle Arrays. PLoS ONE 4(3): e4773. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004773.