25-09 - Flipbook - Page 108
Mi n i str i es
Future vaccines could be delivered by
dental floss
Hypodermic needles remain the most common method of administering lifesaving vaccines, but that doesn9t mean receiving the jab has gotten more pleasant over time. Now,
biomedical engineers are exploring a new approach that could ditch shots entirely for a far
more mundane delivery system: dental floss. Their initial findings are laid out in a study recently published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Needles are an understandable go-to for many vaccines and boosters4they9re effective,
quick, and easy to use. But shots still have their drawbacks. Used syringes are biohazards,
and needles often remain a difficult sell for anyone with a phobia or low pain threshold.
Their efficacy is also sometimes limited due to where antibodies are produced. While hypodermic vaccines primarily stimulate antibody creation in the bloodstream, many pathogens
like influenza and COVID still enter the body through the nose and mouth.
Nasal sprays aren’t enough
In recent years, researchers have developed a number of nasal spray vaccine alternatives.
Even then, these variants are frequently limited because they have trouble breaching the
epithelium4an interior tissue lining designed to block viruses, dirt, and dust from entering the
bloodstream. The epithelium coats not only regions like the lungs, intestines, and stomach,
but the deepest pocket between your teeth and gums. Unlike in other parts of the body,
however, this junctional epithelium doesn9t feature that same protective barrier. And that9s
where a team at North Carolina State University thinks they9ve found a backdoor for vaccine delivery.
Without that protective barrier seen elsewhere in the body, the junctional epithelium is more
Andrew Paula
