Giving Compass' Take:

• Emily Boynton reports that a needleless flu vaccine has been successfully tested on mice, a promising step toward vaccine-patch technology. 

• How can funders help new vaccine technology progress to improve global health? 

• Learn how to find and fund scientific research. 

A new needle-free flu vaccine patch revs up the immune system much like a traditional flu shot without any negative side effects, a study with mice shows.

While the patch is in the early stages and researchers have not yet tested it in humans, it’s an important step toward a technology that could replace needle-based vaccination methods that require health care workers to administer and the removal of biohazard waste.

“Scientists have been studying needle-free vaccine approaches for nearly two decades, but none of the technologies have lived up to the hype,” says Benjamin L. Miller, professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and corresponding author of the paper in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

“Our patch overcomes a lot of the challenges faced by microneedle patches for vaccine delivery, the main method that’s been tested over the years, and our efficacy and lack of toxicity make me excited about the prospect of a product that could have huge implications for global health.”

Read the full article about the needleless flu vaccine by Emily Boynton at Futurity.