The Nanopatch is a stamp-sized vaccination that is the brainchild of Australian researcher Professor Mark Kendall. It has been described as "vaccine utopia" and could revolutionise immunisation programs in developing nations.

The groundbreaking work on needle-free vaccine delivery led by Professor Kendall, from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland, has won his team the 2011 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team.

The Nanopatch vaccination team includes engineers, mathematicians, materials scientists and immunologists. It also receives input from the laboratories of cervical cancer vaccine inventor Professor Ian Frazer, the Translational Research Institute at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital; Professor Michael Roberts, director of the Therapeutics Research Unit at Queensland University's School of Medicine; and the University of Melbourne's Professor Lorena Brown from the Department of Immunology and Microbiology.

The prize is part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the most prestigious awards in Australian science. The winners were announced last night at a star-studded evening for the country's most inspired minds.

'The Eurekas', as they are fondly known, have become the most coveted science awards in this country. Every scientist knows a ‘eureka' moment comes after decades of singular dedication, deep inquiry and rich collaboration. Receiving an Australian Museum Eureka Prize is regarded as a pinnacle achievement for any Australian scientist.

"For immunisation experts, the Nanopatch is vaccine utopia," says Frank Howarth, Director of the Australian Museum. "It is cheap, painless, very effective, can save countless lives at very low risk, can be transported without refrigeration and can be given without the need for extensive training."

Professor Kendall and his team believe the Nanopatch, which can be mass produced at low cost, will replace the needle and syringe - the primary delivery device for immunisation since 1853. The patch is smaller than a postage stamp and has 20,000 micro-projections per square centimetre dry-coated with vaccine. When the patch is placed against the skin, the projections push through into the narrow layer beneath the skin surface that is rich in immune cells.

This delivery direct to immune cells means the Nanopatch uses one-hundredth of the standard needle and syringe dose, drastically reducing the cost to the health system. In a pandemic, the reduced dose would also make it easier for governments to supply sufficient vaccine to the public.

Importantly, the Nanopatch does not need refrigeration - a vital breakthrough for immunisation programs in developing nations. The World Health Organization estimates 50 per cent of vaccines in Africa do not work properly because the ‘cold chain' has been broken. 

The $10,000 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team is awarded to an Australian research partnership, group or team for a groundbreaking research outcome that has involved collaboration and integration between researchers from two or more unrelated disciplines. It is sponsored by the Australian Research Council.

Sponsor
The Australian Research Council Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team is sponsored by Australian Research Council.

Description
The Australian Research Council Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research by an Interdisciplinary Team is awarded to an Australian research partnership/group/team for a groundbreaking research outcome that has involved collaboration and integration between researchers from two or more unrelated disciplines.

Prize
$10,000

Purpose
The award encourages outstanding, innovative research that demonstrates the benefits of practical interdisciplinary cooperation.

Research entered may be for a single project or a body of work. In either case, the research must have been:

• undertaken in Australia;
• published in an internationally respected journal(s), book(s) or equivalent electronic publications;
• been undertaken no more than five (5) years before the closing date for entries; and
• have contributed to an area of national priority.

The national priorities are:

• An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
• Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
• Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, and
• Safeguarding Australia