The most effective drug delivery system isn't a hypodermic needle

Tatooed:  Cool Optical Illusions
German scientists have demonstrated that the tattoo needle may be a more effective way of delivering vaccines than the standard injections. In tests on mice, the tattoo technique proved more successful in stimulating an immune response—tattooing a vaccine produced 16 times more antibodies in the mice. Of course they didn't actually imprint images of foxy ladies on their subjects. The vaccines took the place of the ink, and the scientists suspect that the rapidly vibrating needles, and the damage inflicted by them, were responsible for the boosted response.

Want to learn more about breakthroughs in electronics, medicine, nanotech, and more?
Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!

0 Comments



June 2013: American Energy Independence

Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor: Rose Pastore | Email

Contributing Writers:
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email

circ-top-header.gif
circ-cover.gif
bmxmag-ps