Carrington in collaboration with National Cancer Institute

The agreement will attempt to determine whether GelVac is adaptable for delivering human papillomavirus virus (HPV)vaccines in a powder dosage form for mucosal immunization.

In June the FDA approved a new injectable version of an HPV vaccine, now marketed in the US by Merck & Co under the name Gardasil. The Gardasil vaccine requires three needle shots over six months to confer immunity to four types of HPV virus that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts.

“It is our hope, that DelSite’s needle-less technology will enhance patient compliance of HPV vaccination programs and make them easier to implement, especially in the remote tropical villages of the Third World where HPV is particularly endemic and where limited infrastructure foils many inoculation programs before they even start,” said Dr John Schiller of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology at NCI.

The vaccine could potentially lead to an improvement in the treatment of cervical cancer. This is because DelSite technology may lower the number of HPV vaccine inoculations required for immunity, owing to the technology’s ability to affect both whole body immune system and mucosal immunity. Furthermore nasal immunization is easy to administer and is suitable for mass immunization.

Human papilloma virus is the primary cause of cervical cancer in women.