Tattoo Releases DNA Vaccines

Jan-30-13 A multi-layer tattoo from researchers at MIT is able to deliver DNA vaccines safely and with less discomfort.

Recently, DNA has been being explored as a vaccine for treating viruses such as HIV, but delivering the DNA currently involves opening pores in cell walls with electroporation—a method both painful and not terribly effective.

As an alternative, the team from MIT developed a skin patch by embedding layers of a polymer film with vaccine. Using microneedles, the films are implanted about half a millimeter into the skin, which is deep enough to deliver the DNA to the immune cells but too shallow to cause any pain. The films degrade as they contact water, releasing the vaccine over time, and the DNA strands become tangled with pieces of the polymer, which protects the DNA while helping it enter the cells.

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[MEDGADGET.COM]
[MIT]

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