Needle-Free Vaccine Delivery Gets US$16.3 Million Investment

An Australian biotech start-up Vaxxas Pty. Ltd. has received an investment of US$16.3 million to develop a revolutionary new needle-free vaccine delivery system called the Nanopatch.

AsianScientist (Aug. 2, 2011) – One of Australia’s largest investments in a start-up biotechnology company – AUD15 million (US$16.3 million) – has been made with the aim of developing a revolutionary new needle-free vaccine delivery system.

New company Vaxxas Pty. Ltd. will enable Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) Professor Mark Kendall to continue his pioneering research and development of the Nanopatch.

The investment is led by OneVentures, with co-investors Brandon Capital, the Medical Research Commercialization Fund (MRCF), and US-based HealthCare Ventures.

The Nanopatch has thousands of small projections designed to deliver the vaccine to abundant immune cells in the skin, whereas the traditional syringe hits the muscle where there are few immune cells.

Early stage testing in animals so far has shown a Nanopatch-delivered flu vaccine is effective with only one-fiftieth of the dose compared to a syringe, and without the adjuvants currently required to boost the immunogenicity of vaccines.

In addition to improving the efficiency of delivery, the Nanopatch has the potential to dramatically improve patient convenience and reduce the complications associated with needle phobia, needle stick injuries, and cross contamination, which are key global health issues.

The Nanopatch is designed for thermostability and to not need refrigeration, making transport much cheaper and easier, particularly to developing nations around the world.

Professor Kendall said in the developed world about 14 percent of a vaccine’s costs were in maintaining the cold chain – while in the developing world the impact was even greater.

“In Africa about half of vaccines aren’t working properly because of a breakdown in the cold chain,” Professor Kendall said.

“The Nanopatch also offers a way to stop needle-stick injuries during vaccination – which again is a particularly important problem in Africa; with a third of vaccines affected by other complications brought about through cross contamination needle stick injury.”

The million investment was negotiated by UniQuest Pty. Ltd., The University of Queensland’s main commercialization company.

Dr. Stephen Thompson, Brandon Capital Partners Managing Director, said launching Vaxxas as a company was a critical next step for the Nanopatch technology.

“In Australia, we invest heavily in our excellent research and development capability but have a relatively poor record of taking those technologies to world markets,” Dr. Thompson said.

“The syndicate’s investment in Vaxxas is consistent with its willingness to work with Australia’s leading research institutes, including the AIBN, to transform this exciting research effort into a commercially useful product. We need to convert the promise of the technology into a reality.”

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Source: University of Queensland.
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