Needle-free vaccines only years away as huge Qld lab takes shape

A potentially “game changer” lab aiming to deliver needle-free vaccines could just be a few years, with multiple clinical trials currently underway.

A Queensland lab could just be a few years away from creating a “game changer” vaccine patch, with multiple clinical trials currently underway. Picture: Qld government

Queensland is one step closer to producing needle-free vaccine patches, with biotechnology giant Vaxxas estimating they are three to five years away from releasing their first commercial product.

Attending the Hamilton facility’s opening on Monday morning, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the technology would be a “game changer” to healthcare delivery in Australia and the world.

“It will allow us to deliver vaccines to the remotest parts of the world where they don’t have access to the highly trained healthcare professionals that we take for granted,” he said.

The vaccine patches work by using thousands of tiny projections to deliver the treatment just underneath the skin’s surface.

The less invasive delivery system is also more temperature stable, meaning the patches don’t require frequent refrigeration during its transportation.

Vaccine patches could become a reality in just three years. Picture: Qld government

Vaxxas chief executive officer David Hoey chief executive officer said it was a “smarter way to vaccinate”.

“We know that most of the immune cells that have the highest density of immune cells are in fact, in your skin, so you get a better immune response, (and a) faster immune response,” he said.

Mr Miles said 130 “highly-skilled and secure jobs” were created during the lab’s production stage, with the lab likely to create 200 more local jobs over the three to five years.

Vaccine “supply chain certainty,” was another benefit, he said.

“Who could forget how hard it was to get vaccines for a while,” he said.

“If we are producing the vaccine platform here locally, well next time there’s a pandemic, we’ll have a access to it first here locally.”

The production of the Vaxxas facility in Hamilton, has created 130 jobs, said Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Mr Hoey added there are currently six clinical programs underway, with more than 500 people participating in trials. Under the deal, the Queensland government would own the site, which will be operated by the biotechnology company.

These include vaccines for Covid-19, seasonal influenza, and a pandemic influenza clinical study for the US government, and a measles rubella program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation slated for 2024.

While the most commercial interest was from higher-income countries like the US, Mr Hoey said the benefits for second and third world countries could be potentially “revolutionary”.

“The patch doesn’t require refrigeration to be stable … it has low skilled administration (too),” he said.

“You can take vaccines to places that you simply cannot get to today.”