A MULTI-INJECTION that could package the whole range of childhood vaccines in a single jag may be on the way.

Scientists in the US are developing a new method of containing vaccines in microscopic sealed “coffee cups”.

They are designed so that their “lids” degrade at specific times, allowing the contents to spill out.

The technology could lead to a whole collection of vaccines being incorporated into a single jab, including boosters that are released after a specific time period.

Lead scientist Professor Robert Langer, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said: “We are very excited about this work because, for the first time, we can create a library of tiny, encased vaccine particles, each programmed to release at a precise, predictable time, so that people could potentially receive a single injection that, in effect, would have multiple boosters already built into it.

“This could have a significant impact on patients everywhere, especially in the developing world where patient compliance is particularly poor.”

The researchers developed the “cups” from PLGA, a biocompatible plastic-like polymer already approved for use in medical devices such as implants and prosthetic devices.

Silicon moulds were created for the cups and lids in large arrays of around 2,000 at a time.

Once the polymer cups were made, a special automated dispensing system was used to fill each one with a drug or vaccine.

The molecular weight and structure of the PLGA polymer determines how fast the particles degrade after injection.

In mice, the “cups” were shown to release in sharp bursts without prior leakage nine, 20, and 41 days after injection.

Tests were carried out using ovalbumin, a protein from egg whites commonly used to stimulate an experimental immune response.

A single injection of the cups was able to induce a strong immune response comparable to that from two conventional injections with double the dose, the scientists found.

The researchers are now testing the delivery particles with a variety of drugs including existing vaccines and others still in development.

The findings are reported in the journal Science.