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news.Biopharmaceutical company and vaccine specialist Iomai has received a $1.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health for the continued development of its immunostimulant needle-free patch to extend the availability of existing stocks of influenza vaccine in the case of a pandemic.
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The award is the second installation of a two-year, $2.9 million grant first announced in January 2005. The grant was awarded under the government’s biodefense initiative.
The patch is based on the company’s transcutaneous immunization (TCI) technology, which leverages the skin’s unique immune properties as a vehicle for vaccine delivery and enhanced stimulation of the immune system. The immunostimulant (IS) patch is designed to be applied at the injection site at the time an adhesive bandage would typically be applied.
The device works by activating immune cells to increase the immune response to the injected vaccine. The increased immune responses may allow for the use of far smaller doses of injected vaccine to achieve the needed levels for protection. The patch offers the opportunity to be stockpiled in advance of a pandemic event.
A phase I study of a pandemic influenza vaccine by the National Institutes of Health found that a large two-dose regimen of injectable vaccine was required to stimulate what is believed to be an adequate immune response. Because of the difficulty of manufacturing and administering large doses of traditional injectable vaccine, dose-extending options such as the Iomai patch could be a crucial element of a mass vaccination strategy.