Life sciences company Micron Biomedical announced that it received a $23.6 million grant for a needle-free measles-rubella vaccine. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funding will enable the company to mass-produce the microarray technology-based vaccine for children as young as nine months.
Micron Biomedical stated that the development could allow health providers to administer vaccines to children in a nearly painless manner. The process entails applying the technology to the skin and confirming administration with a button press. The entire process can reportedly be completed within minutes.
The technology would also decrease the reliance on a cold chain, potentially benefiting low- and middle-income areas with limited access to vaccines that require refrigeration throughout storage and transport.
According to CDC scientist and epidemiologist James Goodson, microarray-based measles-rubella vaccines could be an alternative approach to vaccinations in regions with high rates of unimmunized children.
In May, Micronrevealedsuccessful clinical data from a phase I/II study in the Gambia. The study analyzed the immunogenicity, acceptability, and safety of a measles-rubella vaccine delivered to infants, toddlers, and adults by the company’s microarray technology.
The vaccine must undergo additional clinical study before receiving approval from regulatory authorities.
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