Scientists in Oxford are developing a new Covid vaccine that is delivered via a patch to the skin.
It is hoped that it will provide longer-lasting protection from the coronavirus and could eliminate the need to use seasonal boosters.
Covid vaccines for the treatment of this disease are being developed by researchers. They are applied to skin via patches.
Emergex, a company based in Oxfordshire, wants to create a vaccine that triggers a T-cell immune response. This could stop the virus spreading.
Now, it is entering the first stage of clinical trials. It will be administered to 26 individuals in Lausanne.
If successful, the thumbnail-sized vaccine — made of tiny microneedles that pierce the skin — could be available by 2025.
Emergex plans to use a skin-patches (pictured), where the vaccine would be administered using microneedles.
A microneedle vaccination patch has been developed by researchers from Stanford University and Carolina University. It is more effective than a needle jab for immunity boosters. Researchers also claim it does not need to go as far as a needle.
Current vaccines (including those made by AstraZeneca or Pfizer) aim to stimulate an immune response.
These proteins expose the body to Covid spike proteins that the virus uses to infect cells.
If the virus is found, your immune system will create antibodies specific to Covid to protect you from infection.
The antibody response to a drug can decrease over time.
T cells — which are also made by the current crop of vaccines but to a lesser extent — offer longer-lasting protection, top scientists say.
Emergex’s vaccine targets killer T cells, which kill infected cells. This prevents viruses from creating millions of duplicates.
The antigen can only be found at the surfaces of infected cells.
The immune system then activates a T-cell to search for the protein on the surface of cells.
Once the T cells locate one, they hit the ‘kill switch and kill it.
Emergex wants its Covid vaccine delivered via a skin patch.
Covid vaccines can also be given via skin patches by companies.
Researchers in Australia are currently testing a version that has 5,000 microneedles.
The vaccine is applied to the skin by pushing it in with a machine. It’s left there for 10 seconds.
The needles, according to scientists, are too small for it to be painful. It instead feels quick and flicky.
Robin Cohen, Emergex’s chief executive officer, stated that T Cell priming vaccines could offer substantial benefits to current Covid vaccines, including longer-lasting immunity and greater protection from new strains.
“We are proud of the inception of the trial, and we look forward to collecting data that will support the development this crucial next-generation vaccine.”
Britain already offers booster shots to people over 50 and will offer them starting today to anyone over 40 six months following their second dose.
SAGE advisers have suggested that repeated Covid vaccinations may be needed every year to shore up the wall of protection — as with flu.
There have been some concerns about uptake in the second drive.
Michael Tildesley is a member the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modeling group (Spi-M). He said repeated vaccinations can keep Covid away.
Sky News interviewed him and he said that Covid was likely to be endemic in the long-term. We will probably have to continue to fight it by vaccinating for many years.
Professor Tildesley answered a question about whether he was confident that a “normal Christmas” would happen. He said: “I’m cautiously optimist.”
“If we examine (the trends), we see that while there has been quite the variation over the recent weeks and we are still reporting very high levels of cases, the total daily hospital admissions, as well the total death, is quite a way below where it was in November last year. Which should give us some degree of confidence.
He said, “The booster vaccine campaign is faring much better than it was just a few weeks back. But there are still quite a number of eligible persons who haven’t had their booster jab.”
“It’s important, if we want to prevent restrictions from increasing in severity that as many people as possible get their booster shots over the next couple of weeks.