The Georgia Institute of Technology and Micron Biomedical have been awarded $2.5 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the development of dissolvable microneedle patches for polio immunization. The patches will be studied to evaluate their potential role as part of the worldwide efforts to eradicate polio.
Microneedle patches are shown in the foreground of this photograph, with a vial of vaccine and examples of traditional hypodermic needles shown in the background. Photo courtesy of Gary Meek.
"We believe that the microneedle patch has the potential to help complete the polio eradication effort with a simple-to-administer patch that can be used in immunization efforts in all countries," says Mark Prausnitz, a Regents Professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
"This new vaccine technology has the potential to significantly increase reach to children everywhere, including in the most marginalized areas of the world. Because it does not need to be injected means achieving high vaccination coverage would be significantly easier, and this is crucial, particularly in outbreak situations," comments Dr. Roland Sutter, coordinator of research and product development, polio operations, for the World Health Organization (WHO).
The vaccine patch will likely be about the size of a postage stamp, including an area in the center where the microneedles are located. The tiny needles – too small to be seen with the unaided eye – will be surrounded by an area of adhesive designed to keep the patch on the skin of the person being vaccinated. In addition to the vaccine, the needles will include polymer and other materials that have been approved for use in pharmaceutical products.
Development of the vaccine patch began about five years ago, and has also involved funding from the WHO, the Global Immunization Division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a Grand Challenges Exploration grant from the Gates Foundation.
Mark Prausnitz is an inventor of patents that have been or may be licensed to companies developing microneedle-based products, is a paid advisor to companies developing microneedle-based products, and is a founder/shareholder of companies developing microneedle-based products, including Micron Biomedical.