A close-up of a microneedle (top) compared to a hypodermic needle, showing how microneedles are far less invasive. (Credit: Swansea University)

The world’s first smart vaccine device delivers the COVID-19 vaccine and measures its efficacy through monitoring the body’s associated response.

The research will produce the vaccine through the use of microneedles (MNs) to create a smart patch. This device will simultaneously measure a patient’s inflammatory response to the vaccination by monitoring biomarkers in the skin.

Microneedles provide a safe and effective method to deliver vaccines with added attributes of requiring lower vaccine doses, permitting low-cost manufacturing, and enabling simple distribution and administration. A microneedle delivery patch is easy to apply and minimally invasive — combined with the proposed measurement capabilities, this new vaccine system would enable a personalized vaccination approach.

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