Feng Ya-Xiu, Hu Huan, Wong Yu-Yuen, Yao Xi, He Ming-Liang
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
CityU Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518071, China.
Pharmaceutics. 2023 Apr 27;15(5):1349. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051349.
Vaccination is an effective measure to prevent infectious diseases. Protective immunity is induced when the immune system is exposed to a vaccine formulation with appropriate immunogenicity. However, traditional injection vaccination is always accompanied by fear and severe pain. As an emerging vaccine delivery tool, microneedles overcome the problems associated with routine needle vaccination, which can effectively deliver vaccines rich in antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to the epidermis and dermis painlessly, inducing a strong immune response. In addition, microneedles have the advantages of avoiding cold chain storage and have the flexibility of self-operation, which can solve the logistics and delivery obstacles of vaccines, covering the vaccination of the special population more easily and conveniently. Examples include people in rural areas with restricted vaccine storage facilities and medical professionals, elderly and disabled people with limited mobility, infants and young children afraid of pain. Currently, in the late stage of fighting against COVID-19, the main task is to increase the coverage of vaccines, especially for special populations. To address this challenge, microneedle-based vaccines have great potential to increase global vaccination rates and save many lives. This review describes the current progress of microneedles as a vaccine delivery system and its prospects in achieving mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.
疫苗接种是预防传染病的有效措施。当免疫系统接触到具有适当免疫原性的疫苗制剂时，就会诱导产生保护性免疫。然而，传统的注射式疫苗接种总是伴随着恐惧和剧痛。作为一种新兴的疫苗递送工具，微针克服了常规针头接种相关的问题，能够将富含抗原呈递细胞（APC）的疫苗无痛地有效递送至表皮和真皮，从而诱导强烈的免疫反应。此外，微针具有无需冷链储存的优点，且具备自我操作的灵活性，能够解决疫苗的物流和递送障碍，更轻松便捷地覆盖特殊人群的疫苗接种。这些特殊人群包括疫苗储存设施受限的农村地区人群、行动不便的医护人员、老年人和残疾人，以及怕疼的婴幼儿。当前，在抗击新冠疫情的后期，主要任务是提高疫苗接种覆盖率，尤其是针对特殊人群。为应对这一挑战，基于微针的疫苗在提高全球疫苗接种率和拯救众多生命方面具有巨大潜力。这篇综述描述了微针作为疫苗递送系统的当前进展及其在实现针对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）大规模疫苗接种方面的前景。
