第1370期:Vaccine ‘Patch’ More Effective than Injections

American scientists say they have created a vaccine patch that provides greater protection against infectious diseases than traditional injections.美国科学家表示，他们创造了一种疫苗贴剂，与传统注射剂相比，可以提供更好的传染病保护。A 3D printer is used to make the patch, which is smaller than the tip of a finger. Each patch – which contains many small “micro-needles” – can be put directly on the skin.3D 打印机用于制作比指尖还小的贴剂。每个贴片——包含许多小“微针”——可以直接放在皮肤上。The researchers said in a statement the experiments showed the patch provided an immune response 10 times greater than vaccines injected into arm muscles. And they reported it offered an immune response 50 times greater than vaccines injected under the skin.研究人员在一份声明中说，实验表明，该贴剂提供的免疫反应是注射到手臂肌肉中的疫苗的 10 倍。他们报告说，它提供的免疫反应是皮下注射疫苗的 50 倍。The tests were carried out on mice, with plans to expand the experiments to humans.这些测试是在老鼠想要进行的，并计划将实验扩展到人类。The results were recently described in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The team was led by scientists from Stanford University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.最近在美国国家科学院院刊 (PNAS) 上发表的一项研究中描述了这一结果。该团队由斯坦福大学和教堂山北卡罗来纳大学 (UNC) 的科学家领导。The researchers say the increased effectiveness happens because the patch releases substances directly into the skin, which is full of immune cells that are targeted by vaccines.研究人员表示，之所以能提高有效性，是因为贴剂将物质直接释放到皮肤中，皮肤上充满了疫苗靶向的免疫细胞。The scientists say that in addition to the patch vaccine being better at fighting disease, it has several other advantages over traditional injections. The patch is painless, does not require cold storage and can be given by individuals themselves.科学家们说，除了贴剂疫苗更擅长对抗疾病之外，它还有其他几个优于传统注射剂的优势。该贴片是无痛的，不需要冷藏，可以由个人自己给予。The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of vaccines as a way to control viruses in massive populations. But there are barriers that prevent some populations from getting the injections. One of these is the need to keep the vaccines in cold storage. Another is that it can be difficult for people in many parts of the world to get to a place that can administer the shots.COVID-19 大流行已经证明了疫苗作为一种在大量人群中控制病毒的方式的重要性。但是有一些障碍会阻止某些人群进行注射。其中之一是需要将疫苗冷藏。另一个原因是，世界上许多地方的人可能很难到达可以进行注射的地方。The researchers developing the patch say they hope the method will one day help solve these issues and increase vaccine access to millions more people around the world. And because of how the patch works, a smaller amount of vaccine can be used.开发该贴片的研究人员表示，他们希望该方法有朝一日能帮助解决这些问题，并增加全球数百万人获得疫苗的机会。而且由于贴剂的工作原理，可以使用较少量的疫苗。Shaomin Tian is a researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the UNC School of Medicine. She helped lead the study. She said in a statement that the team was able to overcome manufacturing difficulties that have hurt efforts in the past to create an effective patch vaccine that uses micro-needles.田少民是北卡罗来纳大学医学院微生物学和免疫学系的研究员。她帮助领导了这项研究。她在一份声明中说，该团队能够克服制造困难，这些困难阻碍了过去创造使用微针的有效贴剂疫苗的努力。Tian said one problem with past methods was a reduction in needle sharpness from repeated manufacturing using patch molds.田说，过去方法的一个问题是使用贴片模具重复制造会降低针的锋利度。But the researchers’ new method permitted them to directly 3D print the patches. “Which gives us lots of design latitude for making the best micro-needles from a performance and cost point-of-view,” Tian said.但是研究人员的新方法允许他们直接 3D 打印贴剂。“从性能和成本的角度来看，这为我们制造最好的微针提供了很大的设计空间，”田说。The team says it is continuing to work on developing ways to include current COVID-19 vaccines - such as those from Pfizer and Moderna - for use in micro-needle patches for future testing. The method could be used for other disease vaccines as well.该团队表示，它正在继续努力开发将当前的 COVID-19 疫苗（例如辉瑞和 Moderna 的疫苗）纳入微针贴剂以供未来测试的方法。该方法也可用于其他疾病疫苗。Other research has been done on the use of vaccine patches. Last year, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh announced they had developed a COVID-19 vaccine that could be delivered into the skin through a patch of 400 micro-needles.已经对疫苗贴剂的使用进行了其他研究。去年，匹兹堡大学的科学家宣布他们已经开发出一种 COVID-19 疫苗，可以通过 400 根微针将其输送到皮肤中。And in Australia, researchers from the University of Queensland reported in June they had created a vaccine patch that demonstrated “extremely clear” results in tests on mice. The scientists said the patches produced “much stronger and more protective immune responses against COVID-19” than traditional vaccine delivery methods.在澳大利亚，昆士兰大学的研究人员在 6 月份报告说，他们研制了一种疫苗贴剂，在对小鼠的测试中显示出“非常清楚”的结果。科学家们表示，与传统的疫苗投递方法相比，这些贴剂产生了“针对 COVID-19 的更强大、更具保护性的免疫反应”。

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