First-Of-Its-Kind Microchannel Drug Delivery Technology to Enable Self-Administrable COVID-19 Vaccines

A first-of-its-kind microchannel drug delivery technology could enable self-administrable COVID-19 vaccines, enhancing their potential.

The drug delivery technology has been developed by Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New York, NY, USA) which is working on several innovative products and platform technology IP for personalized medicine. Aquavit has filed its latest patent for its novel drug delivery device through the COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Pilot Program (PEPP) which has been rolled out by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in light of the COVID-19 outbreak to facilitate moving patents for medical devices and services designed to combat the virus to market as soon as possible.

Currently, the majority of existing commercial vaccines are delivered to intramuscular or subcutaneous tissues by needle and syringe. However, in the past few years, there has been a renewed interest in the exploitation of skin vaccination in pursuit of a more potent immune response considering that the skin but not the muscle contains large amounts of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The major challenge posed by targeting vaccines to the epidermis is to accurately and efficiently access the target tissue. Although the epidermis is superficially located and has a large surface area, access is restricted by the overlying stratum corneum, which forms a physical barrier to molecules > 500 Da molecular weight. Additionally, the epidermal layer is too thin to be reliably accessed by traditional needle and syringe injection.

Aquavit is developing a single-use epidermal drug delivery device that aids in the method of self-administration of biologics, drugs, vaccines, etc. using a microchannel delivery apparatus. The needle features a patented screw thread design that allows the delivery of biologics and vaccines to the epidermis/papillary dermis. Unlike syringe needles and microneedles, the microchannel systems are painless, user-friendly and require a low learning curve.
Aquavit's COVID-19 vaccine device patent covers new devices, compositions and methods that enable the administration of therapeutic vaccine compositions using microchannel delivery into these hard to reach epidermal and dermal layers of the skin rich in Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs) for promoting effective immune responses. The methods and devices are particularly useful during times of epidemic and pandemic crises, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, when there is no or limited access to health care providers and healthcare systems are strained or limited. Being able to self-administer or have the administration performed by a non-health care provider also reduces the risk that the patient may become infected by visiting a hospital or health care provider where there are many infected patients.

"Multiple studies have proven that intradermal delivery is more effective and cost-efficient than intramuscular delivery. We believe our technology can potentially achieve higher immunogenicity than traditional needle methods, while also having higher patient compliance and accessibility," said Sai Sankar, Aquavit's Chief Biomedical Engineer.

"With the USPTO's fast track program, Aquavit is one step closer to manufacture and commercialize this novel drug delivery device that enhances the potential of any COVID-19 vaccine," said Sobin Chang, MPH, Chief Executive Officer. "As many pharmaceutical companies rush to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, there is an urgent need for integral components and delivery technology. Our universal platform technology can potentially accommodate any vaccines to be self-administered and pandemic distribution ready. We are currently in talks with multiple global scale pharmaceutical companies, vaccine makers, and major universities for collaborations and partnerships."

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Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc.