Vaccine Patch Nano-Pinpoints Flu Inoculation
When vaccine shortages strike, a way to use small amounts more efficiently may be the answer After yesterday's announcements by the World Health Organization, calling swine flu "unstoppable" and noting that there might not be enough vaccine produced by the time flu season rolls around, the debate began over what to do with the small amount of H1N1 vaccine that will be produced this year. Well, if you're Australian scientist Mark Kendall, you answer that question by designing a vaccine system that provides the same protection as a regular shot, but only uses a fraction of the vaccine. Kendall and his team at Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Brisbane are working on a small patch that would stretch what little vaccine will be ready by flu season across a much larger segment of the population. The patch is smaller than...