A study from RMIT University, along with international heavyweights Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, found a potential neat solution to needing to store vaccines at low temperatures.
The researchers think it could help put a dent in the more than 14 million children globally who received no vaccines at all in 2024, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
The patches are made up of hundreds of tiny tips which deliver the vaccine into the skin, rather than via a traditional injection.
Although a promising breakthrough, lead author and RMIT researcher Brendan Dyett warned widespread use of vaccine patches for humans could be a decade away.
But Dr Dyett said protection against dangerous diseases could be both cheaper and more widely available if and when patch technology takes off.
"Being able to distribute these materials at room temperature and not requiring cold storage infrastructure lowers hurdles and would also make it more affordable," he told AAP.
"Australia is quite a big country and there's lots of regions with much less resources than our urban cities."
There are a number of logistical advantages to vaccine patches which excited the Melbourne researcher.
At present, mRNA vaccines must be delivered and administered in liquid form.
This means most vaccines must be transported at very cold temperatures, which can be difficult for long journeys and for communities that do not have the necessary infrastructure.
However, researchers identified conditions that help protect the particles carrying mRNA in dry vaccine patches, which would rehydrate upon contact with the skin.
Dr Dyett said in the past, any attempts to dehydrate and then rehydrate particles of a vaccine had irreversibly changed the structure.
"If you're cooking and you ended up splitting the sauce, you've still got all the raw ingredients you started with, but the structure of it is different ... you've lost that texture and taste that you'd be after," he said.
The progress has been made possible by using the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, which Dr Dyett referred to as "the MCG of scientific equipment".
The research, released in the Advanced Functional Materials journal, tested the patches on mice and rats.
The report included practical guidance for future patch design.
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