Scientists Propose COVID-19 Patch Instead of Needles Following Successful Test on Mice 

According to a study conducted at the University of Queensland on mice, a needle-free vaccine patch may be more effective than a conventional needle vaccine at combating COVID-19 variants like Omicron and Delta.

The Hexapro SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine was tested using the high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology developed by Vaxxas in a collaboration with the Brisbane biotechnology company. The research found that the patch was significantly more effective at neutralizing COVID-19 variants.

According to Dr. Christopher McMillan of UQ, the SARs-CoV-2 vaccine patch appears to mitigate new variants more successfully than the current injection-only SARs-CoV-2 vaccine.

According to McMillan, the high-density microarray patch is a platform for precisely delivering the vaccine into the skin layers that are dense with immune cells.

When compared to vaccination administered via a needle, they discovered that vaccination through the use of a patch was roughly 11 times more effective in stopping the Omicron variant.

He added that the outcomes went beyond the Hexapro vaccine.

Patch Effectivity

McMillan said that so far, every vaccine type that they have tested through the patch, including subunit, DNA, inactivated virus and conjugate produces superior immune responses compared to traditional needle vaccination methods.

Dr. David Muller, who is also from the University of Queensland, said that currently-available vaccines may not be as efficacious because of the regularly emerging new COVID-19 variants.

Muller added that this decreased effectiveness was highlighted by the Omicron variant, which contains over 30 mutations in the spike protein.

The virus can now dodge the immune responses induced by the current vaccines thanks to the numerous mutations.

However, the patch technology has the potential to offer a new and more effective weapon in the arsenal, at a time where new variants are mutating at a rapid rate.

The newly developed patches are not only more effective against emerging variants but are also far easier to administer than needle-based vaccines.

Current Vaccines Still Work

Muller emphasized the need to emphasize that the use of current vaccines is still a reliable method of preventing serious disease and illness brought on by this virus and that now is not the time for people to let their guard down.

According to David Hoey, CEO of Vaxxas, this is additional proof of the technology platform's potentially game-changing ability to assist countries in better preparing for and responding to pandemics in the present and the future.

Taking the Next Step

Hoey stated that in order to get ready for extensive clinical trials, they are still expanding their manufacturing capacity and speeding up product development.

In order to support the transition to commercialization of their HD-MAP vaccine candidates, along with a Hexapro COVID-19 patch, he additionally stated that they are building their first manufacturing facility in Brisbane.

The study, which was financially backed by an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship given to Dr. David Muller, was published in the journal Vaccine, Science Daily reports.