Public health officials are looking for innovative solutions to vaccine delivery in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing supply chain shortages. Recently highlighted in a new article, a group of scientists and engineers are working together to develop a novel intradermal delivery device.

Tiba’s collaboration with the University of Pittsburg and Carnegie Mellon University is centered on a new 3-D printed micro array patch for mRNA vaccine delivery.  Microneedle arrays comprise hundreds of tiny needles on a miniature patch that, when applied to the skin, quickly dissolve and deliver the mRNA nanoparticles. In addition to overcoming the general aversion to traditional needles, these devices do not require the same level of cold-chain storage and can allow for 1/100th of the dose of a traditional vaccine to be delivered.

 

This is a unique opportunity to work leading scientists and experienced engineers on a new intradermal delivery modality that allows Tiba to demonstrate the value and flexibility of our unique RNA delivery chemistry.

— Dr. Jasdave Chahal, co-founder and lead scientist

Led by Burak Ozdoganlar, professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon and the project’s principal investigator, the novel intradermal delivery device has been show to safely deliver an mRNA vaccine in mice. The multi-institute grant was funded through the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This work leverages the stability of Tiba’s nanoparticle platform and the dosing efficiency of a micro-needle patch, which together can enable new opportunities for healthcare professionals in resource-limited settings.

The project dates back to the start of the pandemic, when Tiba established a collaboration with the Center for Vaccine Research, an NIH Regional Biocontainment Laboratory. The present multi-institute grant was funded through the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

For more details, see the article here: A shot in the arm: How micro 3D printing could be used to deliver vaccines