Gold and Helium Combine for Needle-Free Injections

Mr. Jaggers writes "U.K. biotech outfit, PowderMed Ltd., has developed a new method to deliver vaccine using an injector powered by concentrated helium gas. They enclose fragments of virus DNA in tiny gold particles, and use the injector to introduce particles into the body subdermally. Evidently, this has been in the works for some time, but is now ready for human clinical tests. Oh, and this is supposed to be used experimentally to target the H5N1 avian flu, which is also cool, I suppose."

I wonder if its painful?

[allaunjsilverfox2]

If not couldn't it be used for diabetics? Or others that need constanst injections?

Hell yes - the military uses something like this

[r00t]

These guys have added "gold" and "helium" to make things sound cool, but the tech is old.

It hurts like Hell. It leaves a blister or welt, if you are lucky.

Don't flinch. If you move, the device cuts a slot. You need stiches. Then they try again. Remember, don't flinch.

Such devices are being eliminated. Back splatter (tiny droplets of blood) creates a risk of disease transmission. It's also not nice how the device tends to drive skin bacteria into you, more so than a needle would.

Re:Hell yes - the military uses something like thi

[Zemran]

Several years ago I had a shower of sparks from a grinding machine hit me in the face and I had fine pieces of metal in my skin and eyes. Skin does not matter as the skin will force the metal out itself, but they felt that it was important to get the metal out of my eyes and the pain made me agree. I had to sit still on the wrong end of a sort of magnifying glass while they used hypodermic needles to hook the bits of metal out. As with all eye surgery it is important to remain consious. I could see each needle going into my eye and I could feel the click as they hooked each piece of metal out.

Even worse though, was a friend that was in a car wreck and they took his eyes out, again fully concious, to remove pieces of windscreen. He told me that it was very strange to be looking at his own chest like that while his eyeballs were on his cheeks.

Re:Gold?

[n0dalus]

The amount of gold we're talking about probably isn't any more than what's in a bottle of Goldschlager

How Much is inside a bottle of Goldschlager [cockeyed.com] (Work safe).

Re:Hell yes - the military uses something like thi

[kjdames]

How would he be able to see if his eyes were outside his skull? I thought the eyeball required light to only enter from the front in order to work. That's why true invisibility would not work - you'd be blind.