Medical Information Below Skin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have now developed a novel way to record a patient’s vaccination history. They have devised a method of storing the data in a pattern of dye that is invisible to the naked eye. It is delivered under the skin at the same time as the vaccine.
Every year, lack of vaccination leads to about 1.5 million preventable deaths, primarily in developing nations. One factor that makes vaccination campaigns in developing nations more confusing is that there is little infrastructure for storing medical records.
Kevin McHugh, a former MIT postdoc, said that in areas where paper vaccination cards are often lost or do not exist at all, the storing of medical information below skin technology could enable the rapid & anonymous detection of patient vaccination history to ensure that every child is vaccinated. Kevin McHugh is now an assistant professor at Rice University.
The scientists demonstrated that their new dye consists of nanocrystals called quantum dots. These quantum dots can remain for at least five years under the skin, where it emits near-infrared light. A specially equipped smartphone can detect the lights.
An Invisible Record- Medical Information Below Skin
Several years ago
, the MIT team set out to devise a method for recording vaccination information in a way that doesn’t require a centralized database. Many vaccines, such as the vaccine for measles, mumps, & rubella (MMR). It requires multiple doses spaced out at specific intervals; without accurate records, children may not receive all of the necessary doses.Ana Jaklenec, a scientist at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research & the senior author of the paper, says it is challenging to maintain a database of the vaccination history in developing history. This leads to confusion, and children often miss out on the necessary vaccination doses.
To create an “on-patient,” decentralized medical record, the scientists at MIT manufactured a new type of copper-based quantum dots, which emit light in the near-infrared spectrum. The dots are only about 4 nanometers in diameter. The quantum dots are encapsulated in biocompatible microparticles that form spheres about twenty microns in diameter. This encapsulation allows the dye to remain in place.
Scientists designed the dye to be delivered by a microneedle patch rather than a traditional syringe and needle. Such patches are now being developed to provide vaccines for measles, rubella, and other diseases, and the researchers showed that their dye could be easily incorporated into these patches.
Medical Information Below Skin- Feasibility of The Technology
The microneedles used in this study are made from a mixture of dissolvable sugar and a polymer called PVA, as well as the quantum-dot dye and the vaccine. When the patch is applied to the skin, the microneedles, which are 1.5 millimeters long, partially dissolve, releasing their payload within about two minutes.
Tests using human cadaver skin showed that smartphone cameras could detect the quantum-dot patterns after up to five years of simulated sun exposure. The MIT scientists now plan to survey health care workers in developing nations to get input on the best way to implement the Medical Information below skin technology.
Scientists believe the quantum dots are safe to use in this way because they are encapsulated in a biocompatible polymer. Still, they plan to do further safety studies before testing them in patients.
