In a pre-clinical study of a novel microarray vaccine patch, Vaxxas reported enhanced immune response against Covid-19. The Australian biotech company has created a small, hockey-puck shaped patch covered in a high-density 9-by-9 mm array of tiny projections in order to deliver a dry coat of the novel SARS-Cov-2 spike subunit vaccine.
The patch delivers the drug directly to the immune cells located below the skin, using microneedles that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. In this stage of research, the patch outperformed traditional injections of the vaccine, and demonstrated higher T-cell and spike-specific antibody responses.
The vaccine was shown to be stable for a minimum of 30 days after application, at 25 C. This is promising as a potential path forward to future unrefrigerated distribution, which could speed up vaccination efforts in remote or hard to reach areas where refrigeration during transport is less viable.
The leader of the study, David A. Muller, stated in an interview with Clinical Trials Arena, “Based on our results, we believe that Vaxxas’ HD-MAP could offer a compelling solution that importantly could use less vaccine and potentially could be readily distributed without refrigeration for self-administration.”
The team also believes the patch has the potential to neutralize the threat of emerging isolates, such as the recently emerging UK and South African variants of the initial Wuhan strain. The research is taking place at Queensland University in collaboration with Griffith University.
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