Nanotechnology, considered morally unacceptable by the public, has benefited a variety of fields and is once again making strides in medicine. The University of Michigan has reported a novel technique using nanoemulsions to vaccinate against infectious diseases. The group uses nanometer diameter oil-based emulsions that are sprayed into the nose to produce a strong immune response. Previously, this technique was successful in vaccinating against influenza and can now add smallpox and HIV to the list.

Nanoemulsion vaccines developed at the Center for Biologic Nanotechnology at the University of Michigan are based on a mixture of soybean oil, alcohol, water and detergents emulsified into ultra-small particles smaller than 400 nanometers wide, or 1/200th the width of a human hair. This new technology uses surface tension from the nanoemulsions to disrupt membranes and destroy microbes without much or any damage to human cells. Laboratory results with mice indicate that treatment of their nares with nanoemulsion prior to exposure to pathogens offers protection against pathogen challenge. The emulsion also acts as a mucosal adjuvant by presenting the pathogen to the immune system, which can induce protective immunity in the absence of an active infection. In contrast, the presentation of other forms of inactivated pathogens does not yield an effective immune response, suggesting that the nanoemulsion-killed organisms are uniquely immunogenic.

Dilute emulsions showed stability when stored at 40°C for over 1 year and at room temperature for over 3 years. They can also withstand several cycles of heating and cooling. The technology has been licensed out to NanoBio Corporation. If successful in commercialization, this could become a disruptive technology, eliminating the current technique of needle vaccinations.