Brisbane company looking to export its needle-free vaccine tech
Brisbane-based biotech company Vaxxas is looking to expand its needle-free technology vaccine globally, raising $100 million for further trials and securing patents to protect the manufacture and use of its proprietary technology in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Vaxxas is a privately held biotechnology company in Brisbane focused on enhancing the performance of existing and next-generation vaccines.
Its core technology – high-density microarray patches (HD-MAP) – was initially developed at The University of Queensland, and the company was established as a start-up in 2011 by UQ’s commercialisation group UniQuest. Since 2011, the company has grown from a startup of four, to a business of over 150, opening a global headquarters and manufacturing site, the Vaxxas Biomedical Facility, in Brisbane in 2023.
Vaxxas CEO and president David Hoey said, “Vaxxas is aiming to transform the vaccine market by improving the performance of vaccines and reducing the economic and logistical challenges typically associated with needle-and-syringe vaccination.”
The Vaxxas high-density microarray patch consists of thousands of microscopic projections moulded into a small patch. Each microprojection is printed with a small dose of vaccine in a dried formulation. The vaccine is delivered by simply applying a small patch briefly to the skin.
This technology could minimise the costs and complexities of traditional vaccination delivery, which were highlighted during the global Covid-19 pandemic.
HD-MAPs are easy to use, opening the floor for potential self-administration and have been shown to be more stable at higher temperatures which could simplify mass distribution by reducing the need for cold-chain storage.
Vaxxas’ HD-MAP technology has so far completed five successful Phase I clinical trials involving over 500 participants with vaccines that address some of the world’s biggest health challenges including COVID-19, flu, and measles and rubella.
It is currently conducting its first US IND-enabled Phase I clinical study for a pre-pandemic influenza vaccine involving 258 participants, with funding from the United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
The company hopes to manufacture and distribute its vaccine patches worldwide from its global headquarters and biomedical facility in Brisbane within the next three to five years.
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Vaxxas was founded with the completion of an initial equity financing led by OneVentures Innovation Fund I with co-investors Brandon Capital Partners and US-based HealthCare Ventures, followed by further financing led by OneVentures, joined by UQ.
More than $US67 million ($A96 million) has been provided to Vaxxas under contracts with US and Australian government agencies, including US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , industry collaborators, and global health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
It also received $6.4 million from the European organisation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and $8 million from the Federal Government.
