The feeling of nervousness before having to get a vaccine is a feeling many know all too well. A needle in the arm and a weird sensation that overtakes the arm afterwards is something many individuals fear. An extreme fear of medical procedures that involve injections and needles is known as trypanophobia. What if the unpleasant vaccine experience could be avoided? An article posted in Matter describes how researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have recently developed an ingestible capsule that carries vaccines, thus aiding in diminishing the fear of vaccinations.
In 2019, two MIT research groups, headed by Giovanni Traverso and Robert Langer, developed a blueberry-sized capsule that after swallowing, attaches itself onto the stomach lining of an individual and injects insulin into the stomach lining. The capsules contain microneedles. The tips of these needles are made of freeze-dried insulin, and the shaft was a biodegradable material, which was, itself, not injected into the lining of the stomach. After the success of those studies, the groups focused their research on developing similar capsules that contain mRNA vaccines. mRNA vaccines provide instructions to our cells so that specific proteins can be produced to protect the body from a specific disease, such as COVID-19.
Larger molecules, such as mRNA, are normally degraded in the digestive tract. To combat this issue, a protective case made of hybrid poly (β-amino esters) nanoparticles protected the mRNA in the tip of the needle. The structure of hybrid poly (β-amino esters) nanoparticles allowed the vaccine capsule to be protected in the acidic environment of the digestive tract and allow for comfortable biodegradation that does not cause harm to the individual. Researchers used mice and pigs to test the effects and the success of this new method of immunization. While therapeutic trials still need to be performed, these are beneficial steps in the right direction of the future of immunization. Have no fear trypanophobes! A needleless immunization future is near!