FLC | NIAID-funded COVID-19 vaccine patch performs well in mice

NIAID-funded COVID-19 vaccine patch performs well in mice

April 9, 2020

A candidate COVID-19 vaccine delivered though a thumbnail-sized patch studded with microneedles—technology developed at the University of Pittsburgh with funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)—is on the road to a clinical trial after demonstrating encouraging outcomes in mice.

The experimental Pittsburgh coronavirus vaccine, PittCoVacc, is made from parts of the virus S (spike) protein impregnated into 400 tiny needles on a small adhesive patch. Once attached, the microneedles, which are made of sugar, dissolve and deliver the viral protein directly to immune cells in the skin that are especially responsive to viral invaders.

When tested in mice, PittCoVacc generated a surge of antibodies against the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) within two weeks of the microneedle prick. The vaccinated animals have not yet been tracked long-term, but the researchers note that mice vaccinated with a microneedle patch against the coronavirus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) produced sufficient antibody levels to neutralize the virus for at least a year. The antibody levels of the SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated animals are following a similar trend, the team reports. The findings were published April 2 by EBioMedicine.

The SARS-CoV-2 microneedle vaccine maintains its potency after gamma radiation sterilization—a useful feature in vaccines used by humans. Additionally, the components of the experimental vaccine can be made rapidly and on a large-scale, the investigators say, and the final product does not require refrigeration, which means vaccine patches could be produced and placed in storage until needed.

The team has begun the process of obtaining approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in anticipation of launching a Phase 1 trial of the candidate vaccine within the next several months.