Jan 21
Although medical science has advanced immeasurably in the last century, many preventable diseases still claim lives due to ineffective vaccination programs. This map shows when and where that happens.
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Nov 22
In North America and Europe, we don’t worry much about polio. Vaccination has eradicated this terrible, paralyzing disease in the first world. But far away, the poliomyelitis virus still thrives. Wired accompanied the teams that hope to wipe out polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The story is compelling.
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Feb 08
Tiny Pin-Cushions Made of Sugar Are The Sweetest, Cheapest Way To Get Vaccinated
Posted in: Today's Chili
Even if it means protection from dangerous, even fatal diseases, having a needle jabbed into your skin and liquid sickness squirted into your flesh is no fun for anyone. There are other needleless injection solutions out there, but a new microneedle array made completely out of dried sugar promises to make vaccination not only painless, but dirt cheap. More »
Jan 30
I know that the subject of needles can be a very pointed one (pardon the pun), as we have heard our fair share of horror stories where a well built person becomes a whimpering fool at the sight of a needle, while others who cannot stand the sight of a dead butterfly would not mind being poked and prodded all over the place. I guess different strokes work for different folks, and here is an idea that many people will be able to resonate with – patches that are covered in microscopic needles which could actually send vaccines into one’s skin in the future so that it will boost a patient’s defense against disease.
The delivery of vaccines tend to happen in a series of jabs, and sure, you might end up with a lollipop from the doctor at the end of the day, but aren’t you a wee bit too old to be sucking on one at the hospital? Good to know that researchers at MIT have come up with a method to create “super effective” DNA vaccines by relying on an array of microscopic plastic needles that measure a mere 250 microns wide and 650 microns high, and if you were to compare it to the average human hair, it measures roughly 100 microns wide.The microneedles in action can disrupt only the most superficial layers of the skin while avoiding nerve endings and blood vessels, rendering them painless to deliver the vaccine compared to hypodermic needles.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Abiogenix uBox Reminds You To Take Your Medication On Time, FDA Approves Robot Doctor, 
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