Hand holding hypodermic needle --- Image by © Wendy Hope /Corbis
Shudder at the thought of needles?
A vaccine “patch” could replace scary immunization injections against diseases like flu. Researches at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a patch of 100 ‘microneedles’ which are each less than a millimeter in length. And it may even be more effective than the traditional jab, tests in mice show.
It could mean the end of going to the doctor to get your vaccines – these patches dissolve on contact with skin. A DIY, painless jab? It sounds almost too good to be true. All you needle-phobes, now it’s time to pray for a pain-free way to draw blood. (Via BBC)