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Scientists have delivered mRNA vaccines to mice using dental floss.
A new study, published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, shows that when floss is laced with flu-vaccine components, including messenger RNA, and then applied to the gums of mice, it triggers an immune response.
This method of delivery is highly effective, because the areas of the gum between the teeth are highly permeable, allowing the easy absorption of vaccine molecules.
The researchers flossed 50 mice every two weeks over a period of 28 days.
Four weeks after the final vaccine dose, the mice were exposed to a lethal strain of flu. The mice who had received the floss vaccine survived, while the rest didn’t.
The mice that had been flossed with the vaccine also displayed a more widespread immune response, with antibodies detected in their feces, saliva and bone marrow.
“These findings establish floss-based vaccination as a simple, needle-free strategy that enhances vaccine delivery and immune activation compared with existing mucosal immunization methods,” wrote the researchers.
The researchers believe the new delivery method could offer significant benefits over traditional methods, especially for those with a fear of needles. Floss-based vaccines would not need special transport or cold-storage.
As a press release notes, “They could be easily delivered by mail, which would be useful for rapid mass vaccination during pandemics.”
