Needle-free vaccine patches deliver jabs through the skin in seconds
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With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world experienced an imminent crisis for which governments were largely unprepared. Despite vaccine breakthroughs within a year of the pandemic, the rollout of jabs was limited and lacked efficiency in the early stages.
Now with new technology, distributing painless vaccines is expected to become more manageable. Deputy Premier, Steven Miles says, “expanding our sovereign capability in the development, manufacturing, and delivery of vaccines was one of the important lessons COVID-19 taught us.”
Additionally, Miles said that the new technology has the potential to play a vital role in pandemic preparedness because it allows vaccines to be deployed quickly and easily to our communities.
Developing painless patches
The technology was founded in 2011 at the University of Queensland. Researchers developed it using the blueprint of the dry-delivery microneedle/microarray research, according to New Atlas.
Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas journalist, reported, "On the patch, thousands of tiny, dry vaccine-coated micro projections are assembled, and when they make contact with the skin they painlessly, efficiently deliver the drug to immune cells that sit just below the surface."
Vaxxas facility will also kickstart the Queensland Biomedical Business Attraction Program. “It is designed to attract interstate and international industries to access the biomedical capability,” the Queensland government said.
Vaxxas Chief Executive Officer David Hoey added that the plant is expected to manufacture and distribute the first commercially available needle-free vaccine patches within three to five years.
The novel vaccine patch technology can deposit a vaccine through the surface of the skin in just seconds, according to the Queensland government.
Government-backed
The project is backed by the Palaszczuk government and is positioned to be the forefront endeavor in boosting the state's economy.
The government says that the Vaxxas project aligns with the Queensland Government’s Biomedical 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan. The biomedical sector contributes $2.1 billion to Queensland’s economy and employs more than 12,000 people
“The Palaszczuk government is committed to supporting homegrown biomedical start-ups to scale up successfully and ensure we keep this innovation and our best and brightest researchers on home soil,” Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles said.
The government added that the new technology manufacturing facility is on track to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into Queensland’s economy.
Hoey also emphasized that Vaxxas patch technology is advancing rapidly toward commercialization. The company has completed several human clinical trials involving more than 500 participants. Furthermore, there are ongoing Australian Phase I clinical studies for COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.
“Other vaccine studies targeting pandemic influenza funded by the United States Government and a measles-rubella study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is anticipated to start in 2024,” Hoey said.
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