Transcutaneous immunization: a human vaccine delivery strategy using a patch

G M Glenn1, D N Taylor, X Li

  • 1Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Rd., Rm. 2W-124, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-7500, USA.

Nature Medicine
|December 2, 2000
PubMed

Transcutaneous immunization, a topical vaccine application, combines the advantages of needle-free delivery while targeting the immunologically rich milieu of the skin. In animal studies, this simple technique induces robust systemic and mucosal antibodies against vaccine antigens. Here, we demonstrate safe application of a patch containing heat-labile enterotoxin (LT, derived from Escherichia coli) to humans, resulting in robust LT-antibody responses. These findings indicate that TCI is feasible for human immunization, and suggest that TCI may enhance efficacy as well as improve vaccine delivery.

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