Gold and Helium Combine for Needle-Free Injections

Mr. Jaggers writes "U.K. biotech outfit, PowderMed Ltd., has developed a new method to deliver vaccine using an injector powered by concentrated helium gas. They enclose fragments of virus DNA in tiny gold particles, and use the injector to introduce particles into the body subdermally. Evidently, this has been in the works for some time, but is now ready for human clinical tests. Oh, and this is supposed to be used experimentally to target the H5N1 avian flu, which is also cool, I suppose."

Comments

Star Trek pushes us forward again?

[RyoShin]

I remember reading about something like this in Popular Science back in late '05.

Can anyone tell me how close this is to the Hypo-sprays (sp?) from the Star Trek world? Do you still have to place is strategically, or is it a general point-and-click interface?

First comm badges. Then hypo-sprays. Warp speed, here we come!

Needle-Free is 30+ year-old tech

[dltaylor]

Back in 1970, I received several immunizations in the U.S. Army from needle-free guns. Only got cut once (out of 8 or 9), and it wasn't me flinching, but a suddenly-distracted tech. Before they worried about blood-spatter spreading pathogens, it was a rapid assembly-line way to perform the task: load a vial onto the gun, and "shoot" several individuals before reloading. I don't remember that version as encapuslating the viral/bacterial bits, though, and I think the pressurization agent was nitrogen, 'cause I remember jokes about "the bends". (I know "the bends" are not funny, but a bunch of 18-22 year old guys standing in lines to get "shots" will make jokes about it.)

Re:Needle-Free is 30+ year-old tech

[JetScootr]

They were still using it in 1981, when I went in. They injected so much vaccine in one shot that you'd get a big knot on your arm. Skinny guys had to get it in the upper thigh. I used to have to get massive allergy injections when I was a kid, so I know what a *big* shot feels like. The military's air injected shots hit like a knuckle punch and felt like they were gonna make us immune to everything but bullets. Several guys fainted afterwards.