Scientists from the University of Queensland found a needle-free vaccine patch could better fight COVID-19 variants, such as Omicron and Delta, than a traditional needle vaccine.
The vaccine patch appeared to counteract new variants more effectively than the current SARS-CoV-2 vaccine delivered by injection.
The research is published in Vaccine and was conducted by Dr. Christopher McMillan et al.
In the study, the team tested the Hexapro SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine using the Vaxxas high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology.
The results found the patch was far more effective at neutralizing COVID-19 variants.
The team found that vaccination via a patch was approximately 11 times more effective at combatting the Omicron variant when compared with the same vaccine administered via a needle.
So far, every vaccine type they tested through the patch, including subunit, DNA, inactivated virus and conjugate produces superior immune responses compared to traditional needle vaccination methods.
The team says currently-available vaccines may not be as effective because of the constantly emerging new variants of COVID-19, and this has left researchers at a crossroads.
This decreased effectiveness was highlighted by the Omicron variant, which contains over 30 mutations in the spike protein.
A large number of mutations have given the virus the ability to evade the immune responses generated by the current vaccines.
However, the patch technology has the potential to offer a new—and more effective—weapon in our arsenal, at a time when new variants are mutating at a rapid rate.
The patches are not only more effective against emerging variants but are also far easier to administer than needle-based vaccines.
The team says that it is important to stress that existing vaccines are still an effective way of combatting serious illness and disease from this virus and it is not the time to drop our guard.
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