Development of an Oral Delivery System for COVID-19 Vaccines Using Thin Polymer Strips

为了克服当前的大流行，需要开发一种疫苗。然而，传统的皮下注射疫苗昂贵、耗时且操作复杂；它将需要数月甚至数年才能完成，这将大大延长大流行的恢复进程。该项目旨在为最终的SARS-COV-2疫苗开发一种强大、方便和易于管理的递送系统，避免皮下注射和在接种过程中需要训练有素的卫生保健专业人员。该系统将使用薄的聚合物条，在口腔中迅速溶解（几秒钟内），并装载病毒抗原，提供一种替代载体，可以轻松方便地将精确剂量的疫苗输送到舌下粘膜。已经证明，舌下液体形式的疫苗在产生针对多种感染原的免疫反应方面是有效的。该项目将把这些成果推进到薄膜平台，使疫苗接种能够以操作简单的方式进行，并使全球疫苗接种的步伐大大加快。

To overcome the current pandemic, a vaccine will need to be developed. However, conventional vaccination via sub-cutaneous injection is expensive, time-consuming, and operationally complex; it will require many months or even years to complete, significantly prolonging the pandemic recovery process. This project aims to develop a robust, convenient, and easily administered delivery system for the eventual SARS-COV-2 vaccine, avoiding sub-cutaneous injection and the requirement for trained healthcare professionals in the vaccination process. This system will use thin polymer strips that dissolve rapidly (within several seconds) in the mouth and are loaded with viral antigens, providing an alternative vehicle that can easily and conveniently deliver a precise dose of vaccine to the sub-lingual mucosa. It has already been shown that sub-lingual vaccine delivery in liquid form is effective in producing an immune response to a variety of infectious agents. This project will advance these results to the thin-film platform, allowing vaccinations to be carried out in an operationally simple manner, and enabling the pace of global vaccination to dramatically increase.