The skin — once thought to be a mainly passive barrier — can produce its own antibodies that fight off infections, a pair of studies reports in Nature this week^1,2. The findings could pave the way for the development of needle-free vaccines that can be applied to the skin.

Although scientists have previously seen immune responses in the skin during infections, finding similar reactions in healthy skin is “a surprise”, says Daniel Kaplan, a dermatologist and immunologist at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. “The idea of a semi-autonomous immune system in a peripheral tissue is very exciting,” he says.

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