In a big breakthrough, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed a skin patch that efficiently delivers medication to attack cells in melanoma.
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. According to the American Academy of Dermatology records, almost 100,000 new cases of this cancer are diagnosed every year and 20 Americans die daily from it.
Researchers have tested this fast-acting skin patch in mice and human patients. Skin patch delivers medication within just one minute. It is very small…is less than a centimeter long and is coated with a sticky film. This patch has microneedles and unlike syringe it’s painless, easy to administer and reduces risk of infection.
“Our patch has a unique chemical coating and mode of action that allows it to be applied and removed from the skin in just a minute while still delivering a therapeutic dose of drugs,” says Yanpu He, a graduate student who helped develop the device. “Our patches elicit a robust antibody response in living mice and show promise in eliciting a strong immune response in human skin.”
Paula T. Hammond, Ph.D, said, “We are using low-cost chemistry and a simple fabrication scheme to transform vaccination,”
“Ultimately, we want to get a device approved and on the market.”
