CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & BRISBANE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vaxxas will receive an AU$8.2 million second round grant as part of the Australian Federal Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) to support the manufacturing scale-up of its potentially game-changing technology that enables vaccines to be applied to the skin using a small patch.
In 2021, Vaxxas received AU$4.4 million first round MMI funding to support the specialised infrastructure necessary to manufacture its high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) device at its state-of-the-art biomedical facility currently under construction at Northshore, Brisbane.
This additional support will allow the team to develop and establish a sterile production line using proprietary aseptic fill and finish processes at the facility, further advancing the company’s vaccine coating, device sealing and quality control technologies.
The Brisbane production facility will support late-stage clinical trials and early commercial production.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Australian Federal Government for their ongoing support of our vaccination technology,” Vaxxas Chief Executive Officer David Hoey said.
“It is fantastic to see the Government backing innovations by local companies that have the potential to make a difference to lives in Australia and around the world.”
The Vaxxas HD-MAP uses an ultra-high-density array of micro projections – invisible to the human eye – applied to the skin as a patch to rapidly deliver vaccine to the abundant immune cells immediately below the skin surface. The vaccination technology has the potential to fundamentally improve pandemic and routine vaccination through production efficiencies, breadth and speed of access, and population coverage.
With support from the Queensland State Government, the Vaxxas Biomedical Facility is being constructed in Northshore, Brisbane and due to open in early 2023. In addition to relocating its existing workforce of more than 100 employees to the site, the new facility will support the creation of 29 new highly-skilled jobs and the ongoing growth and development of the biotech and medtech sectors in South East Queensland.
Launched in October 2020, the Federal Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative aims to drive lasting change to Australia’s manufacturing sector by co-funding large manufacturing projects with a particular focus on supporting business to scale. It has six key areas of focus: Resources Technology & Critical Minerals Processing; Food & Beverage; Medical products; Recycling & Clean Energy; Defence; and Space.
Vaxxas will work with the Department of Industry, Science and Resources over the coming weeks to finalise grant details.
About Vaxxas
Vaxxas is a privately held biotechnology company focused on enhancing the performance of existing and next-generation vaccines with its proprietary high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP). Vaxxas core technology was initially developed at the University of Queensland.
About Vaxxas’ HD-MAP Technology
The Vaxxas proprietary HD-MAP technology platform uses an ultra-high-density array of micro projections – invisible to the human eye – applied to the skin as a patch to rapidly deliver vaccine to the abundant immune cells immediately below the skin surface. This approach can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of resulting immune responses of vaccines. Vaxxas uses proprietary dry-coating technology to apply an active and stable vaccine onto the projections which offers the potential to eliminate the need for vaccine refrigeration during storage and transportation – easing the resource and logistics burden of maintaining the refrigerated “cold chain.” Ease of use of the HD-MAP could enable simplified administration, potentially encompassing self-administration.