Volunteers are needed for a clinical trial for a needle-free coronavirus vaccination as part of a study by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The trial will assess a new vaccine from The University of Texas in Austin, which is administered via a patch developed by Brisbane-based biotechnology company Vaxxas. The hope is to make the medicine more accessible, particularly to people living in remote towns.
This is because the patches have the possibility to be transported easily, without the need for extensive refrigeration and storage unlike the vial vaccines. People can also self administer the patch, meaning towns with limited health services can get the vaccine without having to travel.
The University of the Sunshine Coast has partnered with Australian biotech company, Vaxxas, developers of the high-density microarray patch, after running a similar study in 2021 for measles and rubella.
Principle investigator Dr Stephanie Wallace says they’re looking for healthy participants to get involved.
“The people we are looking for are adults aged between 18 and 50.
“We are looking for people who have already had three doses of the Covid vaccine and have not had a Covid-19 infection in the past four months.”
She says the patch has the potential to change the way vaccines are delivered around the world.
“This could mean that vaccines could be delivered to remote locations without the need for refrigerated transport.”
“Our community on the Sunshine Coast and at our Moreton Bay clinic have previously shown great interest in this research and have volunteered for the HD-MAP trial in its earlier phase. We would encourage them to participate again in this trial with an investigational COVID-19 vaccine,” she said.
The study requires healthy volunteers aged 18-50 years old who are in good general health and have a body mass index within the range of 18-32.
Participants will be required to visit the USC Clinical Trials clinic at Sippy Downs on the Sunshine Coast approximately seven times over a two-and-a-half-month period.
Those interested in participating can find more information at www.usc.edu.au/trials
