The new, needle-free Covid vaccine uses an air jet to propel it through skin. This could provide ‘wide-ranging protection against future variants of coronaviruses’.
University of Southampton is currently testing the vaccine that was developed by Jonathan Heeney, Professor at the University of Cambridge, and DIOSynVax.
University of Southampton developed the vaccine that uses an air jet to push the needle through skin.
This technology is used to anticipate how the virus might mutate and allows for it to be targeted at emerging varieties.
University of Southampton developed the vaccine using a jet of compressed air rather than needles (pictured).
Professor Heeney stated that as new varieties emerge and immunity starts to decrease, we will need more advanced technologies.
“It is vital that we keep developing new vaccine candidates to protect us from future viruses.
“Our vaccine is both innovative in how it stimulates the immune response to trigger a wider protective response and the delivery method it uses. It’s the first step to a universal vaccine against coronavirus.
“Crucially it’s the first step in a universal coronavirus vaccination we’re developing. It protects us from not only Covid-19 variants, but also future coronaviruses.
Saul Faust (clinical chief investigator, director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility) stated that “This vaccine is not simply another coronavirus vaccination as it also has Covid-19 variants, and other future coronaviruses.”
“This technology may provide broad-ranging protection to large numbers of people across the globe.
Most Covid-19 vaccines rely on the sequence of RNA to make spike proteins from virus samples found January 2020. However, DIOSvax technology is used to identify emerging mutations.
Volunteers from the Southampton area who have had two doses of an existing vaccine but not a booster are being sought for the trial for which they will be paid £785.
Volunteers from the Southampton area who have had two doses of an existing vaccine but not a booster are being sought for the trial for which they will be paid £785