Vaxess Technologies lands $6m for microneedle vaccines

Vaxess Technologies said today that it won 2 grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation totalling up to $6 million for the development of inactivated polio and live attenuated measles rubella vaccines using the company’s Mimix sustained-release microneedle patch technology.

The company’s Mimix technology is designed for sustained, transdermal delivery of vaccines and inmmunotherapies, according to Vaxess. The company engineered biopolymer microneedles to encapsulate antigens for controlled, transdermal administration and claims that the technology enhances efficacy, simplifies dosing and improves product stability under harsh environmental conditions.

“Vaxess has teamed up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an innovative technology that will contribute to eradication of polio and prevention of measles and rubella by increasing vaccine access,” Vaxess VP Livio Valenti said in prepared remarks. “Products developed with our Mimix sustained-release vaccine delivery system will have increased product efficacy and will not require refrigeration, facilitating vaccination in resource-poor settings.”

The 1st grant of $3 million is for the preclinical development and manufacturing of a thermostable inactivated polio microneedle patch and the 2nd $3 million grant is for the preclinical development of a resorbable microneedle patch for delivery of live attenuated measles rubella vaccine.

“The use of the Mimix sustained-release microneedle patch to combine doses and simplify administration has the potential to streamline global eradication efforts,” CEO Michael Schrader said. “Vaxess is honored to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance these life-saving products to market.”

“Vaxess’s Mimix platform, enabled by the unique properties of silk-derived biopolymers, offers tunable dermal delivery of antigens to optimize immune response and improve product profiles,” VP of R&D Kathryn Kosuda added. “With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are excited to demonstrate the flexibility and power of this platform to advance IPV and MR vaccines.”