Threading the needles on immunity

Intradermal vaccine developer Apogee Technology Inc.thinks it has found a polymer that kills two birds with one stone-acting as both a coating agent for the company's microneedle delivery device and serving as a vaccine adjuvant. The latter feature was a pleasant surprise, because although the polymer, poly[(dicarboxylatophenoxy)phosphazene], is a known adjuvant for intramuscular vaccines, such adjuvants have rarely been compatible with intradermal delivery.

Intradermal vaccines alone typically induce stronger immune responses than intramuscular vaccines alone because the skin is home to a larger population of dendritic cells than muscle tissue. Combining an intradermal vaccine with an adjuvant could further increase immune response, thereby reducing the dose required to provide protection and lowering the cost of vaccines...