The needle-roller vaccine creates antibodies that neutralize the nCoV

The researchers created a patch containing 400 microscopic needles that inject the prickly protein into the skin to create antibodies that kill the nCoV .

A team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania on April 2 announced it had developed a potential vaccine that could block nCoV, the virus that causes Covid-19. When tested on mice, the vaccine passed through a small fingertip patch , producing specific antibodies to nCoV in sufficient numbers to control the virus. They publish their findings in The Lancet.

The new vaccine is given through a small fingertip, and can be stored at room temperature.(Photo: UPMC).

Scientists can quickly produce a vaccine based on research in previous outbreaks of the corona virus."We had experience with SARS-CoV in 2003 and MERS-CoV in 2014. Two virus strains closely related to nCoV helped us to know that a special protein called the spiny protein plays an essential role in promoting the reaction. immune to viruses. We know exactly where to focus our research on dealing with new viruses. That's why vaccine research is so important. You never know when the next pandemic will come. " , Andrea Gambotto, associate professor of anatomy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, co-authored the study.

Compared to the mARN vaccine that was launched in clinical trials in March, the new vaccine, called PittCoVacc , stands for Pittsburgh corona virus Vaccine cluster, designed in a more familiar approach, using viral protein segments in the room. experiments to create immunity, similar to the way the current flu vaccine works.

The team uses a new method to inject vaccines into the body called needle roller to increase efficiency. It is a small finger-sized patch consisting of 400 tiny needles that put a prickly protein into the skin, where the immune response is strongest. The patch works like a wound dressing, after which needles made of sugar and protein fragments dissolve into the skin. "We developed a patch based on the method used to deliver the smallpox vaccine to the skin, but this is a high-tech version that is more efficient and reusable. In fact, it is not painful but only created. It feels like sticky tape , " explains Louis Falo, a professor and director of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and co-author of the study.

PittCoVacc is also easy to produce on a large scale. The protein fragments are created from the "cell factory" , the overlapping cell layers are modified to produce nCoV's prickly protein and can be added to increase production by several times. The mass production of needle roller arrays requires the use of a centrifuge to spin a sugar-protein mixture. After production, the vaccine can be stored at room temperature so no refrigeration is required during transport or storage.

When tested on mice, PittCoVacc produced large amounts of anti-nCoV antibodies within two weeks. The team has not tracked mice for a long time, but they said mice using the MERS-CoV vaccine produced enough antibodies to neutralize the virus for at least a year, and the level of antibodies in animals using the PittCoVacc vaccine The same trend.

In particular, the nCoV needle roller vaccine retains its effectiveness even after thorough sterilization with gamma radiation, an important step towards creating a suitable product for human use. The team is seeking permission from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prepare for the start of phase 1 of human clinical trials over the next few months. According to Falo, testing in patients usually takes at least a year or maybe longer."The current situation is different than what we have ever encountered, so we don't know how long the clinical development will take , " Falo said.

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