The Needle-less Injector is Replacing Old Traditional Hypodermic Injections

Getting injections can be a terrifying experience for any child and that fear can be very hard to shake off as we get older. Certain patients suffering from chronic diseases have to endure several injections weekly and even daily in order to survive. This can make the situation worse when the patients develop chronic anxiety. An MIT startup wants to change that by removing the needles entirely. This could save millions of people facing the chronic anxiety and pain associated with getting shots each year.

The startup, Portal Instruments, recently landed a commercialization deal for its needle-free injection device. The project’s research was largely developed by Ian Hunter, a professor of thermodynamics at MIT, and one of his students, Patrick Anquetil. The two developed the device, called PRIME and its signature disposable vessel. Drugs are loaded into the vessel with a small nozzle at the tip. The vessel is then placed into the device and an insanely powerful actuator pushes onto a piston which pressurizes the drug and sends it out through the nozzle.

The device works by delivering a jet-injection of medicine directly into the skin. The high-pressure medicine travels in a stream no wider than a strand of hair. The device also connects to a smartphone and allows the user to track each dose and its effects in real-time. Patients then can upload that information to the cloud so that their doctors and nurses can track the injection as well if necessary.

So it is more efficient to use needle-less injectors even in general rather than old traditional hypodermic injections. No need for anxiety of needles or pain and anyone can be relaxed while taking shots with a needle-less injector anytime.