Vaxxas bio-tech firm to launch clinical trials of 'needle-free vaccine patches' for COVID

A biotechnology firm named Vaxxas headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, is about to start clinical testing for a COVID vaccine with needle-free patches, from next year. According to the ABC News website, the needle-free patches technology might help to accelerate the immunisation rollout of Australia in the long term.  

The announcement of clinical trials came after the successful animal experiments conducted by the University of Queensland in collaboration with Vaxxas. During the animal experiments, the patches were tested to vaccinate mice with the University of Texas-developed Hexapro vaccine, which effectively safeguarded them against the virus. 

Expert talks about the importance of needle-free patches technology

Michael Junger, Vaxxas' Head of Medical Device and Process Engineering, informed ABC Radio Brisbane that the firm has planned to start human trials in 2022, possibly in Australia. Highlighting the uniqueness of the patch, he went on to say that the technology would be self-administered.

Quoting Junger, ABC News reported, "COVID-19 is not going away, it will be with us for a long time. It’s not just about the vaccine, it’s about the administration of it."

Junger further explained the importance of the technology by saying that if there is a possibility of a pandemic in the future, then people would again have to show up at a vaccination facility and wait in a queue with thousands of other people to receive vaccination. Hence, self-administration is an option. 

How does the technology work?

According to the University of Queensland study published in a peer-reviewed publication of ‘Sciences Advances Journal’, the vaccination patches generated a greater and faster immune system response than needles and syringes. The needle-free patches technology which consists of a "high-density microarray patch", accommodates thousands of vaccine-coated micro projections, that when put over the skin for only a few seconds, efficiently transport the vaccine to immune cells just under the skin's surface. 

Junger revealed, "There is a sensation because we have to apply the patch at speed to breach the skin with such a dense array," ABC News reported.  

Dr. Muller, who is currently working on the patch technology, further stated that administering vaccination in this manner will increase its efficiency. As there are a number of immune cells in the skin, the patches, when administered directly to the skin, transmit the vaccine effectively. "You get a better quality of immune response compared with using a syringe," he added. 

Dr. Muller further added that the findings of the research were a significant step forward for the needle-free patches technology and that if the clinical testing is effective, it might "dramatically aid" the worldwide vaccination rollout for billions of vulnerable individuals. 

(Image: AP/ Business Wire)