A Sri Lankan researcher Dr Anushi Rajapaksa has developed a potential alternative for needle vaccinations, successfully trying a method in which people can inhale a vaccine to safeguard against potential infections

Researchers from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Monash University also hope to use the matchbox-sized device to deliver stem cells into the lungs of premature babies to repair damaged tissue.

Lead researcher Dr Anushi Rajapaksa said the biggest stumbling block in developing needle-free vaccination had been overcoming the fragile structure of vaccines.

“Vaccines are proteins, which are very sensitive to heat and forces,” Dr Rajapaksa said. “The problem has been getting them up in an aerial form, into a mist.”

The preclinical studies, published in the journal, Respiratory Research, showed the technology could create protective flu antibodies in the blood of sheep — which have a similar lung structure to humans — at levels considered significant by the World Health Organisation.

Dr. Anushi is a Lead Research Officer in Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at Royal Children's Hospital.
(Australia News)