Human Trials of Inhalable Measles Vaccine Starting Soon
Posted By Ariel Schwartz On May 6, 2010 @ 1:45 pm In Design for Health | 2 Comments
[4]
Needles are never fun. They hurt, they can cause infection and in some unfortunate cases, they can spread disease. That’s why researchers are developing an inhalable measles vaccine [5] for the developing world, where clean needles aren’t always available. The vaccine [6], which is under development at CU Boulder, will begin human testing this summer.
Here’s how it works: researchers combine “supercritical” CO2 with a weakened measles virus, producing bubbles and drops that dry when warm nitrogen is applied. This dried vaccine can be inhaled through a small circular opening in a plastic sack, sending the protective powder into the patient’s lungs.
The first phase of human testing will begin in Pune, India [7], with 180 patients getting the powder. If all goes well, CU Boulder researchers might use the technique to produce vaccines for other diseases, including cervical cancer and tuberculosis.
Via SmartPlanet [9]
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/human-trials-of-inhalable-measles-vaccine-starting-soon/
URLs in this post:
[1] Tweet: http://twitter.com/share
[2] Share on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/share
[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/human-trials-of-inhalable-measles-vaccine-starting-soon/
[4] Image: http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/06/human-trials-of-inhalable-measles-vaccine-starting-soon/measles/
[5] vaccine: http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/01/04/tobacco-the-next-biofuel/&sa=X&ei=eODiS8SRIobusQPLz-nyDQ&ved=0CAoQzgQoATAA&usg=AFQjCNFZI9cUKAzBjPXkgCo1Mb45do_9uA
[6] vaccine: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/02/plant-based-vaccines-grown-in-podlike-labs-could-stop-the-next-pandemic/
[7] India: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/10/largest-green-energy-plant-in-the-world-planned-for-india/
[8] + University of Colorado: http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/0f2ac0ee78dee5c08b44bc96fae40dd2.html
[9] SmartPlanet : http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/science-scope/first-human-trial-of-inhalable-measles-vaccine-to-begin-this-summer/1649/
Click here to print.