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Review
. 2023 Apr 27;15(5):1349.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051349.

Microneedles: An Emerging Vaccine Delivery Tool and a Prospective Solution to the Challenges of SARS-CoV-2 Mass Vaccination

Ya-Xiu Feng  1 , Huan Hu  1 , Yu-Yuen Wong  1 , Xi Yao  1 , Ming-Liang He  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Microneedles: An Emerging Vaccine Delivery Tool and a Prospective Solution to the Challenges of SARS-CoV-2 Mass Vaccination

Ya-Xiu Feng et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine; immune response; mass vaccination; microneedles; vaccine delivery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Different routes of vaccination.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Timeline of Microneedle Research Development.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overview of MN types.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Classification of vaccines.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Cumulative number of publications on microneedles for vaccination. The total number of publications was determined by searching the PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) on 15 October 2022, using the search terms “microneedle for vaccine”.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Structure and infection pathways of SARS-CoV-2.
Figure 7
Figure 7
COVID-19 Vaccines Candidates in Clinical Trials.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Classification of COVID-19 vaccines.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Cumulative number of publications on microneedles for COVID-19 vaccination. The total number of publications was determined by searching the PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) on 15 October 2022, using the search terms “microneedle COVID-19”.
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