Location: Foreign Arthropod Borne Animal Disease Research
Project Number: 3022-32000-022-026-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2017
End Date: Jul 31, 2021
Objective:
Develop a needle-free vaccine technology using a subunit vaccine and microneedle delivery.
Approach:
Spray deposition technique for microneedle fabrication had been investigated as a potential way to fabricate polymer microneedles under mild processing conditions. The spray process generates fine droplets from a bulk solution with the assistance of pressurized gas. Water-soluble polymers, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), have been used for microneedle fabrication. A PVA microneedle encapsulating FITC-BSA at the tip portion was formed by spraying BSA-PVA aqueous solution into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold and showed reliable insertion into pig cadaver skin. The PVA microneedles were dissolved within 5 min after insertion and released FITC-BSA in the skin. Our results demonstrate that the spray deposition process is capable of forming mechanically stable, drug-containing microneedles. This system will be adapted to generation of Rift Valley Fever virus Gn protein and tested for stability. The end product will be tested in mice for immunogenicity.
