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Highlights
- Australian biotech firm – Vaxxas is ready to launch its clinical trials of needle-free COVID-19 vaccine.
- The vaccine is progressing to its clinical trials by next year, after successful animal studies.
- Needle-free patches will be available for human trials by mid-year of 2022.
Brisbane based biotech firm Vaxxas is all set for the clinical trials of its needle-free vaccines for COVID-19. As per media, the company believes this technology can boost Australia’s future vaccination rollout.
The needle-free vaccine, HD MAP, is readily fabricated by an injection molding, that produces small patches containing thousands of tiny micro projections (0.25 mm).
This novel technology enables vaccines to be applied on microprojections’ tips under sterile conditions. HD-MAP efficiently delivers vaccine on the microprojections to the high-density populations of immune cells that are located directly beneath the surface of the skin.
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These microprojections also trigger the Natural immuno-cellular alarms. These immune-cellular alarms cause vaccine components to rapidly transfer to the lymph nodes, bringing out a strong immune response.
Some highlights of the needle-less vaccine
Dry-coated on a patch, this vaccine is an integrated single-use applicator, ready for vaccination. This product is designed to allow self-administration and to be more effective while meeting the industry-standards of manufacturing and logistics requirements.
Vaxxas’ HD-MAP products have clinically demonstrated several important benefits with faster and robust immune response with lower doses.
Meeting the logistics requirements, this needle-less vaccine also eliminates the need for refrigerator ensuring broad accessibility.
The clinical trial is set to commence after successful animal studies, which the University of Queensland conducted in partnership with Vaxxas. The patches were used to inoculate mice with Hexapro vaccine, which protected them from virus.
The technology is progressing to its clinical trials by next year. The company’s head of medical device and process engineering – Michael Junger said that Vaxxas is intended to conduct the human tests by the mid-next year, with the vaccine having self-administration potential, as per media.
