New painless vaccine technology targets viruses

The collaboration represents a step forward in the fight against infectious diseases and potentially expands into areas like cancer and autoimmune diseases. By leveraging Kindeva’s intradermal delivery system and Emervax’s thermostable RNA technology, the joint effort seeks to address key challenges in vaccine delivery, such as cold chain storage, ease of use, and patient compliance.

The technology

Kindeva’s microneedle array patch provides accurate, minimally invasive intradermal vaccine delivery. This method aligns with Emervax’s emxRNA platform, which offers a robust stability profile and efficient protein production compared to conventional mRNA vaccines. The microneedle patch can administer vaccines painlessly, which could significantly increase uptake among populations, particularly those with needle phobia or limited access to healthcare facilities.

The emxRNA platform uses circular RNA to enhance vaccine stability and efficacy, eliminating many limitations of linear RNA technologies. Its design also reduces cold chain dependency, enabling easier storage and distribution, especially to underserved regions and low-to-middle income countries.

Milton Boyer, CEO of Kindeva Drug Delivery, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating:
“This partnership reflects a common pursuit of a step change improvement in the delivery of advanced vaccines. In harnessing the combination of Kindeva’s microneedle array patch technology with Emervax’s circular RNA platform, we are excited to work together to unlock breakthrough benefits for patients. In addition to vaccines, our platform has shown tremendous promise across small molecules and biologics targeting a wide range of indications demonstrating the potential for safer, less painful and more convenient intradermal delivery of life saving and life enhancing vaccines and therapies, which conventionally would be administered via an injection.”

Transformative benefits

The partnership is expected to benefit both patients and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Peter Weinstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Emervax, highlighted the potential advantages:
“Alongside the obvious advantages for patients, the new solution also offers compelling benefits for pharmaceutical manufacturers. By combining Kindeva’s microneedle patches with Emervax’s emxRNATM thermostable platform, this solution minimizes the need for cold chain storage and simplifies vaccine administration compared to current standards of care. It also addresses critical challenges in transporting and delivering vaccines to populations in need, ensuring faster and more efficient distribution.”

A promising future

Clinical trials for the new solution are set to begin in 2026. With its potential to deliver vaccines painlessly, reliably, and efficiently, the microneedle patch coupled with the emxRNA platform represents a significant innovation in both vaccine science and patient care.