Vaxxas Archives - Hamilton Today

Hamilton Firm’s Needle-Free Vaccine Patch Set to Transform Global Health

A biotechnology company is on the cusp of revolutionising vaccine delivery worldwide with its pioneering needle-free technology. Vaxxas, headquartered in the Northshore Hamilton precinct, is developing high-density microarray patches (HD-MAPs) that could dramatically simplify vaccination and improve accessibility worldwide.

Established in 2011 by UniQuest, the commercialisation arm of The University of Queensland, Vaxxas has rapidly grown from a small start-up to a company employing over 150 people. In 2023, the company opened its global headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, the Vaxxas Biomedical Facility, in Hamilton.

Needle-Free Vaccine Delivery

Vaxxas’s HD-MAPs consist of thousands of microscopic projections, each containing a small dose of a dried vaccine formulation applied to the skin via a small patch.

Enhanced Vaccine Performance

The technology aims to improve the effectiveness of existing and future vaccines while reducing reliance on traditional needle-and-syringe methods.

Simplified Logistics

HD-MAPs are designed for easy application and enable self-administration. Their increased stability at higher temperatures could eliminate the need for cold-chain storage, simplifying distribution, particularly in remote or resource-constrained regions.

Global Impact

Vaxxas aims to manufacture and distribute its vaccine patches globally from its Brisbane facility within the next three to five years.

Vaxxas CEO and president David Hoey believes Vaxxas is set to transform the vaccine market. He highlighted the company’s commitment to improving vaccine performance and addressing the economic and logistical hurdles associated with traditional vaccination methods.

The company’s HD-MAP technology has undergone five successful Phase I clinical trials, involving over 500 participants. The trials involved vaccines targeting significant global health challenges such as COVID-19, influenza, and measles-rubella.

Vaxxas conducts a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Phase I clinical study for a pre-pandemic influenza vaccine with 258 participants. The United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is funding this study.

Vaxxas has attracted significant financial support from various sources, including US and Australian government agencies, industry partners, and global health organisations.

The company has secured funding from organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, highlighting the widespread recognition of its groundbreaking technology.

Published Date 03-December-2024

Northshore Hamilton Welcomes First Needle-Free Vaccine Patch Facility In Australia

Did you know that Northshore Hamilton now has a state-of-the-art biomedical manufacturing facility producing Australia’s first needle-free vaccine patch?

Queensland biotechnology company Vaxxas plans to manufacture millions of needle-free vaccines at the new facility where cutting-edge technology produces patches that allow vaccines to be administered through the skin’s surface in a matter of seconds. This breakthrough innovation positions Queensland as a leading player in the globally competitive Asia-Pacific biomedical industry.

The facility is expected to boost the state’s economy and create up to 200 local and skilled jobs. The State Government provided funding and operational support to Vaxxas, aiding the transformation of an existing warehouse at Northshore into the manufacturing facility.

With completed human clinical trials and ongoing studies for COVID-19, influenza, and other vaccine targets, Vaxxas’ needle-free vaccine patch technology is progressing rapidly toward commercialization. David Hoey, Vaxxas CEO, expects the first commercially available vaccine patches to be manufactured and distributed from the Queensland facility within the next three to five years.

The government’s commitment to supporting local biomedical start-ups and fostering innovation has contributed to Queensland’s growing reputation as a research and innovation hub.

The establishment of the Vaxxas facility aligns with the Queensland Government’s Biomedical 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan, which aims to further develop the biomedical sector in the state. Currently contributing $2.1 billion to Queensland’s economy and employing over 12,000 people, the biomedical industry is set to attract more interstate and international businesses through the upcoming Queensland Biomedical Business Attraction Program.

Deputy Premier Steve Miles expressed his excitement about the facility’s opening on 19 June 2023 and highlighted the importance of expanding Queensland’s capability in vaccine development, manufacturing, and delivery. He emphasized the vital role that Vaxxas’ needle-free technology could play in pandemic preparedness by enabling the quick and easy deployment of vaccines to communities.

Published 20-June-2023

Vaxxas Wins ‘Product Innovation’ At 2022 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards

Biotech company Vaxxas, which is currently building its manufacturing facility in Northshore Hamilton, received the “Accenture Australia Award for Product Innovation” at the 2022 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards.

Read: Works Progressing Well For Northshore’s Needle-free Vaccine Facility

Vaxxas took home the recognition for their needle-free vaccine, which is delivered through high-density microarray patch. The squared patch has around 5,000 little projections invisible to the naked eye and is said to be less invasive than a shot.

In July 2022, the company has already completed preclinical animal studies, which suggests the patches’ efficacy against all currently known variants of Covid-19.

The technology, which is attracting global attention from leading health, philanthropic and government organisations, has a number of benefits, including enhanced immune response, eliminating the need for deep refrigeration, low-skilled or self-administration, and reduced patient anxiety.

The company announced the initiation of Phase 1 clinical study of their first needle-free vaccine In November 2022. It’s being conducted at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Sippy Downs clinical research location.

Vaxxas’ upcoming facility in Hamilton (Photo credit: *northshorebrisbane.com.au*)

If the studies are successful, Vaxxas would make the vaccine patches available to the market as early as 2025.

Vaxxas will manufacture their Phase II, Phase III and early-stage commercial use in Hamilton, a first of its kind in Australia featuring a house office, R&D laboratories, and device and cleanroom manufacturing spaces.

2022 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards

The Lord Mayor’s Business Awards recognise the best and most innovative businesses and entrepreneurs in Brisbane. The awards centre on the energy, drive and passion behind businesses in any commercial or industrial sector contributing to the growth of Brisbane’s economy.

Around 600 business leaders participated at the 2022 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards. For this year, winners were announced at a gala dinner in City Hall on 21 October 2022.

Read: Portside Wharf Set for Major Transformation

The Accenture Australia Award for Product Innovation is one of the nine categories open to businesses. Vaxxas topped other three finalists for the category –software company RedEye Apps, Morningside based outlet mall Circonomy, and Li-S Energy, which makes lightweight lithium sulfur batteries.

Hamilton Could Soon Be Producing Needle-Free Vaccines

Photo credit: The State of Queensland 1997–2021 (Department of the Premier and Cabinet) /statements.qld.gov.au

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.

Video credit: Vaxxas – R&D Tax Incentive customer story | BusinessGovAu / YouTube

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.

Hamilton to House Facility for Needle-Free Vaccines Production

Hamilton will become the homebase of a medical facility that will create needle-free vaccines for COVID-19. The proposed site at the Northshore Hamilton Priority Development Area is expected to bring 139 jobs and $497 million to the Queensland economy, with active production spanning 10 years.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the partnership with Vaxxas, the manufacturer of the High-Density Micro-projection Array Patch (MAP) vaccine. A building from the Economic Development Queensland will be prepared for the medical company before the vaccine manufacture of 300 million patches every year beginning in 2022.

“For every parent worried about the anxiousness that comes with the delivery of a vaccine to a child through a shot, this technology has the potential to eliminate that anxiety,” Treasurer and Infrastructure and Planning Minister Cameron Dick said in a press statement.

Mr Dick also said that this facility will be significant to the economic recovery of the state from the pandemic as Queensland will attract highly-skilled jobs and advanced technology manufacturers.

The advanced technology entails a dry-coated vaccine patch to be applied to the skin. The vaccine deposits into the skin’s immune cells, which will create an efficient immune response. A doctor or a nurse won’t have to administer the patch.

Clinical trials at Australia’s Translational Research Institute in Woolloongabba show that the needle-free vaccines produce six times more antibodies within a short period compared to vaccines administered through the needle.

Photo Credit: Translational Research Institute/Facebook

Vaxxas’ new vaccine has the support of the World Health Organisation, the pharmaceutical company Merck and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.