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What is the technology?
Microarray Patches for Vaccine Administration
Microarray Patches for Vaccine Administration What is the technology? A microarray patch (MAP; also called a microneedle patch) is an emerging technology for administering vaccines that has the potential to modernize mass vaccination campaigns. MAPs have been proposed for use against measles, influenza, and other infectious diseases and could theoretically be developed for most vaccine-preventable diseases. Currently, MAPs are being evaluated by the CDC and PATH for global health applications, but they could be highly useful in emergency response settings as well.
Several different types of MAPs have been developed, the most promising of which is comprised of an array of small, water soluble, thermostable cones that are embedded with the antigen of choice and held against the skin by an adhesive bandage. Once applied and pressed into the skin, the cones dissolve within minutes, delivering the antigenic payload into the dermal tissue.
MAPs are a reliable, pain-free method of delivering an intradermal (ie, into the skin) injection that could minimize the amount of vaccine needed to confer immunity. Additionally, in the context of a severe pandemic or GCB event, they could enable self-administration of vaccines, which would not require advanced medical training or expertise. Immunologically, antigens delivered via intradermal administration are taken up by specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that reside in the skin. These cells take in and process antigen from the vaccine, transmit it to the lymphatic system, and present the antigen to T and B cells. T-cells are able to recognize and kill virus-infected cells, and B-cells can make antibodies against an invading virus, thereby generating a protective immune response.
What problem does this solve?
In the setting of a GCB event involving an infectious disease amenable to vaccination, the ability to generate rapid, population-wide vaccine coverage will likely be a high priority and may be the only viable way to meaningfully protect large numbers of people. Unfortunately, recent experiences with infectious disease emergencies, notably the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, have demonstrated that we lack the ability to rapidly immunize the US population, let alone the global population.
Severe epidemic and pandemic disease events like influenza, Ebola, and Zika have catalyzed initiatives to expedite vaccine research, development, and manufacturing.39 However, relatively little attention has been paid to addressing the logistical and technological aspects of administering vaccines in an emergency—particularly for pandemics and GCB events, when vaccination will need to be completed rapidly. A primary bottleneck in this process is the small number of healthcare providers— relative to the susceptible population, which could potentially be the entire planet for a wholly novel pathogen— who would or could be pressed into service to implement a mass vaccination campaign during an emergency. This is especially true in the developing world, where even the routine provision of medical care, including vaccination, is an ongoing and persistent challenge.
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