A fingertip-sized patch could be a potential vaccine for coronavirus, researchers say.
Scientists suggest that when tested in mice, it produced antibodies specific to Covid-19 in quantities thought to be sufficient for neutralising the virus.
The vaccine is described in a paper published in EBioMedicine, which is published by The Lancet, and is thought to be the first to be reviewed by other scientists.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine say they were able to act quickly because they had laid the groundwork during earlier coronavirus epidemics.
Co-senior author Andrea Gambotto, associate professor of surgery at the university, said: “We had previous experience on Sars-CoV in 2003 and Mers-CoV in 2014.
“These two viruses, which are closely related to Sars-CoV-2, teach us that a particular protein, called a spike protein, is important for inducing immunity against the virus. We knew exactly where to fight this new virus.
“That’s why it’s important to fund vaccine research. You never know where the next pandemic will come from.”
The researchers say their vaccine candidate follows a more established approach compared to the experimental mRNA vaccine candidate that has entered clinical trials in Seattle.
They have called their drug PittCoVacc, short for Pittsburgh Coronavirus Vaccine, and it uses lab-made pieces of viral protein to build immunity – the same way that current flu jabs work.
The researchers also used a novel approach to deliver the drug, called a microneedle array, to increase potency.
This array is a fingertip-sized patch of 400 tiny needles that delivers the spike protein pieces into the skin, where the immune reaction is strongest.
The patch is applied like a plaster and then the needles, which are made entirely of sugar and the protein pieces, simply dissolve into the skin.
Co-senior author Louis Falo, professor and chair of dermatology at the School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, said: “We developed this to build on the original scratch method used to deliver the smallpox vaccine to the skin, but as a high-tech version that is more efficient and reproducible patient to patient.
“And it’s actually pretty painless – it feels kind of like Velcro.”
Researchers say their system can be mass produced, and once manufactured, the vaccine can sit at room temperature until it is needed, eliminating the need for refrigeration during transport or storage.
According to the study, when tested in mice, PittCoVacc generated a surge of antibodies against Sars-CoV-2 within two weeks of the microneedle prick.
The authors are now in the process of applying for an investigational new drug approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in anticipation of starting a phase I human clinical trial in the next few months.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here