There's some hope on the horizon for those who have a fear of injections, as a new technology could allow multiple vaccines to be delivered in one dose.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way of making drug-carrying particles that allow multiple doses of a vaccine to be delivered over specific times, according to a report published in the journal Science.
The one-shot process involves using tiny capsules that are filled with a drug or vaccine and then sealed with a lid. They are programmed to break down at different times, releasing the contents of the capsule into the body weeks or months after the initial dose.
This ground-breaking invention could remove the need for follow-up booster injections, providing people around the world with long-lasting protection from a whole host of diseases.
To test the new approach, the research team injected five mice with a single injection designed to release their contents at different times. Each contained a protein that triggers a similar immune response to vaccines. The results showed that the protein was released within the mice around 9, 20 and 41 days after the injection.
This method has not yet been tested on patients but Prof Robert Langer, from MIT, believes their development has great potential.
'For the first time, we can create a library of tiny, encased vaccine particles, each programmed to release at a precise, predictable time, so that people could potentially receive a single injection that, in effect, would have multiple boosters already built into it,' he said.
'This could have a significant impact on patients everywhere, especially in the developing world.'