<p>A team of 20 researchers led by Professor Mark Kendall, from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland, have developed the Nanopatch, a stamp-sized vaccine delivery device, that could make vaccination programmes globally simpler and cheaper.<br /><br />The Nanopatch, having 20,000 micro projections per square centimetre, is designed to directly place vaccine into the human skin, which is rich in immune cells.<br /><br />And unlike the needle and syringe, which places vaccine into the muscle – which has very few immune cells – the Nanopatch puts it to our immune sweet spot.<br /><br />"And by doing that we make vaccines work a lot better," Kendall told PTI.<br />"The Nanopatch potential lies in it being cheap, painless, very effective being transported without refrigeration – and can be given without the need for extensive training," Kendall said.<br /><br />The removal of the need for refrigeration is achieved by dry-coating vaccine to the Nanopatch, which could have huge potential for developing countries like India, and many within Africa, he said.<br /><br />The World Health Organisation estimates 50 per cent of vaccines in Africa do not work properly because the 'cold chain' has been broken.<br /><br />In a pandemic, the reduced dose would also make it easier for governments to supply sufficient vaccine to the public, he added.<br /><br />The new device is simple as it does not need a trained practitioner to administer the vaccine.<br /><br />The Nanopatch has to be worn to just 2 minutes or even less, thus giving a pain-free immunisation, he said.<br /><br />The vaccine could hit markets in next 10 years, Kendall said.The Nanopatch, described as a "vaccine utopia" was recently won Prof Kendall and his team the 2011 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team.<br /><br />The prize is part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.</p>
<p>A team of 20 researchers led by Professor Mark Kendall, from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland, have developed the Nanopatch, a stamp-sized vaccine delivery device, that could make vaccination programmes globally simpler and cheaper.<br /><br />The Nanopatch, having 20,000 micro projections per square centimetre, is designed to directly place vaccine into the human skin, which is rich in immune cells.<br /><br />And unlike the needle and syringe, which places vaccine into the muscle – which has very few immune cells – the Nanopatch puts it to our immune sweet spot.<br /><br />"And by doing that we make vaccines work a lot better," Kendall told PTI.<br />"The Nanopatch potential lies in it being cheap, painless, very effective being transported without refrigeration – and can be given without the need for extensive training," Kendall said.<br /><br />The removal of the need for refrigeration is achieved by dry-coating vaccine to the Nanopatch, which could have huge potential for developing countries like India, and many within Africa, he said.<br /><br />The World Health Organisation estimates 50 per cent of vaccines in Africa do not work properly because the 'cold chain' has been broken.<br /><br />In a pandemic, the reduced dose would also make it easier for governments to supply sufficient vaccine to the public, he added.<br /><br />The new device is simple as it does not need a trained practitioner to administer the vaccine.<br /><br />The Nanopatch has to be worn to just 2 minutes or even less, thus giving a pain-free immunisation, he said.<br /><br />The vaccine could hit markets in next 10 years, Kendall said.The Nanopatch, described as a "vaccine utopia" was recently won Prof Kendall and his team the 2011 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team.<br /><br />The prize is part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.</p>