Vaccinating with Tattoos

[Guest guest]

" Tattoos could be good for your health - tattooed vaccines, that is "

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/194135,tattoos-could-be-good-for-your-he\

alth--tattooed-vaccines.html

" Hamburg, Germany - We may all be getting tattoos in the future -

tattooed vaccinations against disease, that is. German researchers

have shown that tattooing is a more effective way of delivering DNA

vaccines than intramuscular injection.

Dr. Mueller and his team at the Deutsches

Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Centre) in Heidelberg

published their findings in the online open access journal, Genetic

Vaccines and Therapy.

Using a coat protein from the human papillomavirus (HPV, the cause of

cervical cancer) as a model DNA vaccine antigen, they compared

delivery by tattooing the skin of mice with standard intramuscular

injection with and without the molecular adjuvants that are often

given to boost immune response.

The tattoo method gave a stronger humoral (antibody) response and

cellular response than intramuscular injection, even when adjuvants

were included in the latter.

Three doses of DNA vaccine given by tattooing produced at least 16

times higher antibody levels than three intramuscular injections with

adjuvant. The adjuvants enhanced the effect of intramuscular

injection, but not of tattooing.

Tattooing is an invasive procedure done with a solid vibrating needle,

causing a wound and sufficient inflammation to " prime " the immune system.

It also covers a bigger area of the skin than an injection, so the DNA

vaccine can enter more cells. These effects may account for the

stronger immune response arising from introducing a DNA vaccine into

the body by tattooing.

Of course, the tattooing approach may not be to everyone's taste - -

as it is likely to hurt - but the researchers believe that it could

have a role in, for instance, routine vaccination of cattle or in

delivering therapeutic (rather than prophylactic) vaccines to humans.

" Vaccination with naked DNA has been hampered by its low efficiency, "

says Mueller. " Delivery of DNA via tattooing could be a way for a more

widespread commercial application of DNA vaccines. "

_________________________________

Here is a link to the actual study, someone with a better

understanding of medical lingo might be inclined to read...

http://www.gvt-journal.com/content/6/1/4

Apparently this method creates more antibodies....

Peace,

Kris