Mass deployable self-administered DNA vaccines by Microneedle Arrays

尽管mRNA疫苗策略对COVID-19大流行做出了快速反应，但生产规模扩大和冷链要求的问题限制了其对发展中国家和兽医使用的适用性。随着病毒性疾病（其中大多数是人畜共患病）的出现和重新出现，人们越来越关注开发提高大规模疫苗接种速度和成本效益的技术。质粒DNA（pDNA）是用于核酸疫苗的更稳定和更顺从的载体，但需要改进免疫原性和递送的创新策略。此外，对医务人员的要求，冷链/储存和通过针头的侵入性递送也是大规模部署的负面因素。该学生奖学金将专注于全球快速部署疫苗所需的关键开发，这些疫苗采用我们目前正在翻译的COVID 19（Innovate UK）和Zika（SBRI）的pDNA策略。EPSRC和CDT主题1.先进的产品设计，2。制药工艺工程与该提案强烈一致，该提案旨在通过利用有效的疫苗平台解决核酸疫苗的设计和工艺工程瓶颈，并采用创新方法通过微针产生可扩展的皮内递送。

Although mRNA vaccine strategies have provided a rapid response to the COVID19 pandemic, issues of production scale-up and cold-chain requirements restrict their suitability for developing countries and veterinary use. With the increasing emergence and re-emergence of viral diseases, most of which are zoonotic, there is increased focus on developing technologies that increase the speed and cost-effectiveness of mass vaccination. Plasmid DNA (pDNA) is a more stable and amenable vector for nucleic acid vaccines but innovative strategies to improve immunogenicity and delivery are required. Furthermore, the requirement of medical staff, cold-chain/storage and invasive delivery by needle, are also negative factors in mass deployment.The studentship will focus on the key development needed of globally rapidly deployable vaccines employing pDNA strategies we are presently translating for COVID19 (Innovate UK) and Zika (SBRI). The EPSRC and CDT themes of 1. Advanced product design, 2. Pharmaceutical Process Engineering, align strongly with this proposal, which aims to address design and process engineering bottle-necks of nucleic acid vaccines by exploiting an efficacious vaccine platform, with innovate methods to generate scalable intradermal delivery by microneedles.