BioTuesdays

University of Cambridge begins COVID-19 trial with PharmaJet needle-free system

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PharmaJet’s needle-free Injection system will be used in a clinical trial to deliver a booster vaccine against COVID-19 virus variants. The vaccine developed by DIOSynVax, a spinoff company supported by the University of Cambridge in the UK, recently announced the start of the Phase 1 clinical trial. 

The vaccine will be delivered exclusively with the PharmaJet Tropis needle-free injection system, which was selected based on its characteristic ability to increase the efficacy of nucleic acid-based vaccines and therapeutics. 

This is the twentieth COVID-19 vaccine development program using PharmaJet needle-free Injection systems as their method of delivery. 

“We continue to build on clinical trial results showing our needle-free systems improve the immune response of multiple RNA/DNA-based vaccines,” Chris Cappello, president and CEO of closely-held PharmaJet, said in a statement.

PharmaJet currently is supporting the commercial launch of Zydus Cadila’s needle-free COVID vaccine. PharmaJet’s needle-free systems also are already being used to address diseases, such as influenza and polio around the globe. 

“We continue to grow our development pipeline, particularly with nucleic acid-based vaccines, which demonstrate improved immunogenicity when delivered with our technology,” Mr. Cappello said 

Dr. Jonathan Heeney, CEO of DIOSynVax, said the response of the scientific and medical communities to the development and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines has been incredible, but as new variants emerge and immunity begins to wane, newer technologies are needed. 

“Our vaccine is innovative, both in terms of the way it primes the immune system to respond with a broader protective response to coronaviruses, and how it is delivered,” he added.