this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
736 points (98.2% liked)

Technology

59555 readers
3421 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Vaccines can be delivered through the skin using ultrasound. This method doesn’t damage the skin and eliminates the need for painful needles. To create a needle-free vaccine, Darcy Dunn-Lawless at the University of Oxford and his colleagues mixed vaccine molecules with tiny, cup-shaped proteins. They then applied liquid mixture to the skin of mice and exposed it to ultrasound – like that used for sonograms – for about a minute and a half.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Emerald@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

I guess it's interesting but this seems to have minimal use case. For those with reactions to injections and such it's useful, but it seems much easier to use a needle in most cases. Also that article claims that it "doesn't damage the skin", but I don't see why a vaccine would cause any meaningful damage to the skin in the first place.

Edit: Okay I'm seeing now how this would be useful for more frequent injections like insulin and such if it can be used like that.

[–] systemglitch@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It literally tears a hole in the flesh with a puncture wound. It's the definition of damaging.

Minor damage, but damage none the less.

[–] ABCDE@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have a phobia of needles so this comes in very very handy. I just wish there was one for taking blood out.

[–] MaxVoltage@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

you just described a deathray mam

[–] Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I guess the fear of needles is a constant problem when children are vaccinated. Having an alternative method ready could make it easier for children, parents and doctors.

[–] weker01@feddit.de 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not only children. I know a guy that passes out (or almost does) when they try to inject him with needles.

[–] Octavio@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

I know a guy like that too. Okay, it’s me. I have to ask the doctor to let me be lying down when I get a shot. But at least it’s not as embarrassing as passing out in the little chair and have a 115 lb. nurse trying to hold me up before I hit the floor. That has happened more than once.