A Microneedle Patch Printer for Thermostable MRNA vaccines

Would you be interested in getting vaccinated by simply applying an adhesive bandage to your skin? Microneedle Patches (MNP), as they are called, promise to deliver on this promise. These patches could be used for diagnostic purposes, and one day they may replace the need to take blood. MNPs are manufactured in a highly manual and labor-intensive process. In a recent paper in Nature Biotechnology Researchers detail the construction of and testing a MNP (microneedle vaccine) printer that can print dissolving Polymers containing stabilized MRNA vaccine.

As usual, these mRNAs are placed in a liquid-nanoparticle container and mixed with the biocompatible and soluble polymer. This mixture is added into a mold. After drying, it retains its microneedle-like structure. In tests on pigskin, MNPs penetrated the skin and delivered the vaccine in the needles. The patches produced were shelf stable for at least 6 months. This would make them ideal for distribution of vaccines in areas with limited refrigeration.

Using MNPs as a delivery system for vaccines was previously researched, for example. A study from 2021 will examine the delivery of rotavirus, poliovirus and other vaccines. Nature Biomedical Engineering The study examined the feasibility of using MNPs as a rapid way to sample protein biomarkers from interstitial liquid. This could simplify the diagnostic process for certain biomarkers by allowing them to be detected as easily as applying the patch, taking it off and then examining it. It would eliminate the need to draw blood or collect large quantities of interstitial for external analysis.

If the MVP and MNP printers are commercialized, they could greatly shorten the supply chains for vaccines and diagnostics, which are currently very expensive and time-consuming.