Researchers report a needle-free spray-mist device that can push last-resort antibiotics through the skin and into deep infected tissue. Hongmin Sun, an associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Missouri, led the study, which was carried out with an industry partner and used a patented delivery device.
The team tested the approach on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and successfully delivered vancomycin into infected tissue without the typical systemic side effects such as kidney damage. The spray-mist is intended to reach the infection site more directly than topical creams, which can be wiped away, and to avoid the high organ exposure that can occur with bloodstream delivery.
Sun worked with former Mizzou researcher Lakshmi Pulakat, now at Tufts University, and with Droplette Inc. The findings, published in Military Medicine, support further study and could lead to clinical trials as researchers seek FDA approval. The team says the technology could be useful in difficult wound-care settings, for example diabetic foot ulcers and battlefield injuries.
- Direct tissue delivery
- Reduced systemic exposure
- Potential to prevent amputations
Difficult words
- deliver — cause a drug to reach a specific placedelivered
- systemic — affecting the whole body or many organs
- patented — protected by an official legal right
- vancomycin — an antibiotic used for serious bacterial infections
- topical — applied directly to the skin or surface
- amputation — surgical removal of a body partamputations
- clinical trial — research study testing a treatment in peopleclinical trials
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What are the possible benefits and risks of using a needle-free spray-mist instead of giving antibiotics through the bloodstream?
- How could this spray-mist technology change care for patients with diabetic foot ulcers or battlefield injuries?
- What steps do you think are needed before the device can be used by doctors and patients?
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