No more needles? Gates Foundation funds patch-style vaccine technology

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LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given $23.6 million to U.S.-based life science company Micron Biomedical to fund the first ever mass production of needle-free vaccine technology...

The technology works by delivering the vaccine via dissolvable microneedles attached to the skin on a patch-like device...

A trial in Gambia earlier this year showed that Microns device delivered the measles-rubella vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, to adults, babies and toddlers as safely and effectively as syringes, and produced a similar immune response...

The technology "could help overcome some of the most substantial barriers to eradicating measles and rubella globally", said James Goodson, senior scientist in the immunization division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has also partnered with Micron...

Part of the Health & Pharma team, recent notable pieces include an investigation into healthcare for young transgender people in the UK as well as stories on the rise in measles after COVID hit routine vaccination, as well as efforts to prevent the next pandemic..

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