Tattoos help vaccines penetrate into the skin

German scientists say tattooing may be the best method of transporting new generation of experimental DNA vaccines rather than standard injections. They published the results of the rat tattoo study online in the Genetic Vaccines and Therapy .

The use of DNA fragments to stimulate the immune response is seen as a promising method of creating better vaccines for the prevention of flu-like illnesses for cancer. But so far this concept has been hampered by its low efficiency.

If tattooing helps the vaccine flow as scientists expect, this man must tattoo all over his body.(Photo: iStockphoto)

Martin Müller of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg said: 'The distribution of DNA through skin tattoos can provide a more widely used commercial DNA vaccine.'

There are currently no approved DNA vaccines on the market, but some pharmaceutical companies are conducting clinical trials and investing in this technology.

Tattoo mouse

Müller and colleagues tested skin tattooing by vaccinating mice with a protein segment carrying human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. Researchers do not use ink, so tattoos do not leave a permanent mark.

Researchers have discovered three doses of DNA vaccine due to tattooing that provide at least 16 times more antibody levels, more than three injections into the muscle. A stronger reaction indicates that skin tattooing with vibrating needles can cause wounds and infections. As a result, a 1cm2 area tattoo will be more painful but will be more effective than a regular vaccine.

'Maybe this is what makes tattooing more effective than conventional injections because tissue will be destroyed and this affects immune cells that then prevent antigens,' Müller said.

Cancer and cattle

"Tattoo vaccines do not seem to be for everyone. But they are valuable in delivering therapeutic vaccines against cancer or other serious symptoms," Müller said. Treatment vaccines as well as anti-disease vaccines are being improved to treat illnesses, rather than just preventing the disease.

Müller says that tattooing also plays a role in vaccination for cattle.