For more information contact:
Colly Mitchell, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience
Contact Colly Mitchell colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu
404-894-5982
Microneedles Research from Prausnitz Lab Featured in TIME.com
Atlanta (August 19, 2009) — What if, instead of having to brave a hypodermic needle each time you needed a shot, you could simply slap on a patch and go about your day? According to some preliminary research from scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, that possibility may be just a few years off. The group of scientists, led by Mark Prausnitz, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Georgia Tech, have developed a patch that has five rows of tiny "microneedles" about as wide as human hairs that can be used to painlessly administer vaccines and other medications. To test the efficiency of the new device, Prausnitz and his colleagues gave the flu vaccine to a group of mice, half by way of traditional injection, and half using the new microneedle patch. Later, the mice were exposed to the live flu virus, after which the scientists tested their immune responses and levels of antibodies. They found that the vaccine, administered via the patch, yielded the exact same level of protection as a traditional shot.
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The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's premier research universities. Ranked seventh among U.S. News & World Report's top public universities, Georgia Tech's more than 19,000 students are enrolled in its Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Management and Sciences. Tech is among the nation's top producers of women and African-American engineers. The Institute offers research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students and is home to more than 100 interdisciplinary units plus the Georgia Tech Research Institute.