SYDNEY: Researchers from Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ) believe that a new COVID-19 vaccine patch would be more effective against the latest COVID-19 variants compared with traditional injected vaccines.
Published in the Vaccine journal on Thursday, the mice trial found the Hexapro SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine was 11 times more effective at combating the highly contagious Omicron variant than the same vaccine administered by a needle.
“The high-density microarray patch is a vaccine delivery platform that precisely delivers the vaccine into the layers of the skin which are rich in immune cells,” said research officer from UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences Dr. Chris McMillan.
The Hexapro patch was invented by UQ in partnership with Brisbane-based biotech start-up Vaxxas. The patch is administered to the skin and injects the vaccine into the body through thousands of tiny spikes.
Groups of eight mice were administered the Hexapro vaccine either via a traditional needle or the patch technology after which their blood was tested against different samples of COVID-19, including the Alpha, Delta and Omicron sub variants.
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