Researchers at Swansea University have been awarded £ 230,000 to develop the world’s first smart vaccine device that will both deliver the COVID-19 vaccine and measure its effectiveness by monitoring joint response. attached to the body.
The research, from the Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT), is to be funded by the Welsh Government’s Sêr Cymru funding program.
The team will use microneedles to create a ‘smart-patch’. This device simultaneously measures a patient’s inflammatory response to the vaccine by monitoring biomarkers in the skin.
Microneedles are tiny needles – their tips are measured in millions of meters (micrometers) – designed to break the skin barrier and deliver medicines in such a minimally aggressive manner. A classic example is the nicotine transdermal patch that delivers nicotine through skin to help people give up smoking.
Microneedles provide a safe and effective way to deliver vaccines with the added benefits of requiring lower vaccine doses, allowing low-cost manufacturing, and enabling simple circulation and administration. The microneedle delivery pad is easy to implement and so minimally aggressive – combined with the suggested measurement capabilities, this new vaccination system would enable a personalized vaccination approach.
Measuring the effectiveness of a vaccine is particularly important because it shows the protective effects of a vaccine on a person through a reduced rate of infectious risk in a vaccinated person compared to a vulnerable, unvaccinated person. This measure of vaccine effectiveness addresses an unmet clinical need and would provide an innovative approach to vaccine development. “
Dr Sanjiv Sharma, Project Director, Swansea University
The project, titled Smart Vaccination Tools for the Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccines, will be led by a team of researchers with experience in the use of microneedle arrays for the delivery of transdermal therapeutic drugs and diagnostic applications.
The team will build on these unique technologies by developing the first microneedle-based COVID-19 smart package, which is capable of delivering vaccines and measuring the immune response in the form of protein biomarkers and as that establishes the effectiveness of vaccinations.
Dr Sharma continues:
“The skin vaccine using MN has been described as an improved vaccination approach because of its ability to overcome immune tolerance seen in pregnancy, and lower vaccine costs through spraying antigen doses, which is particularly relevant in underprivileged countries. “
“The main aim of this project is to create a prototype of a smart vaccine delivery device that can not only deliver the COVID-19 vaccine transdermally but also monitor biomarkers in the skin area in such a small way. aggressive, offering real-time information on effectiveness. of the vaccine. The new method would change the way vaccine efficacy tests are conducted from statistical assessment to scientific measurement of patients’ inflammatory response to vaccines. “
“The real-time nature of the platform means fast results that allow faster introduction of the COVID-19 virus. This low-cost vaccine administration tool will ensure a safe return to work and subsequent wave control of COVID-19 revolution., the scope of this work could be extended to apply to other infectious diseases as the nature of the platform allows rapid response to various infectious diseases. “
“We are currently preparing the platform and hope to conduct human clinical studies of transdermal delivery with our existing partners at Imperial College London, in preparation for its final implementation. “
IMPACT’s activity is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and Swansea University.