Mark Kendall, a biomedical engineer at the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, has received the Rolex Laureate Award for Enterprise for his work developing the needle-free ‘Nanopatch’.
The Nanopatch could revolutionise vaccine delivery for the developing world, the selection committee said in a statement. Unlike the traditional syringe-and-needle method, Kendall’s patch is coated with dry vaccine, which means no refrigeration is needed.
“His Rolex award should allow Kendall to fast-track development of the Nanopatch for the developing world, where most deaths from infectious diseases occur,” the award committee said on their website.
The award, which was given on 13 June, is worth CHF100,000.