Construction is already underway for Australia’s first needle-free vaccine manufacturing facility, located in Northshore Hamilton.
An existing warehouse is being refurbished and transformed into this state-of-the-art, biomedical manufacturing facility. The construction phase has already generated 80 jobs for the local job market.
Once up, the facility will also generate employment opportunities for highly-skilled biomedical experts. Employment projections are estimated to be up to 110 in 2023 and could grow to more than 139 additional jobs over five years.
The project by Queensland biotechnology company Vaxxas is supported by the Economic Recovery Plan of the State Government.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said that once delivered in early 2023 and operating at full capacity, the manufacturing facility is expected to produce needle-free vaccine kits that can deliver around 300 million doses annually.
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Vaxxas plans to deliver an influenza vaccine for its first project using the new technology. They will also look for opportunities to improve existing vaccines, including the ones used to fight COVID-19, in a bid to strengthen preparedness and response to future pandemics.
How does needle-free vaccine technology work?
Vaxxas Chief Operations and Development Officer Angus Forster said that through high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology, a vaccine can be administered and deposited through the surface of the skin in a matter of seconds.
These small patches are armed with thousands of micro-projections that carry the vaccine components and deliver them directly below the skin’s surface where plenty of immune cells reside, triggering a more efficient immune response. This technology also allows the patches to be stored at a temperature as high as 40 degrees making it less difficult to distribute the vaccines to rural and remote areas.
Mr Miles further noted that the needle-free vaccine technology offers a fast and easy deployment of vaccines adding that supporting local biomedical companies is beneficial for Queensland and the rest of the world.
“That’s why Economic Development Queensland worked with Vaxxas to progress design and approvals for the facility, helping to grow the state’s economy,” he said.