Recruitment is underway in Cambridge for volunteers to take part in clinical trials of a revolutionary new needle-free vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - and related coronanviruses.
We're excited to be bringing our vaccine 'home' and are looking to recruit healthy volunteers to help in this crucial stage of development
Jonathan Heeney
The vaccine - known as DIOS-CoVax - has been developed by Professor Jonathan Heeney at the University of Cambridge and spin-out company DIOSynVax. It is envisaged as a booster targeting SARS-CoV-2 and relatives that threaten future coronavirus pandemics.
This next generation vaccine is administered through a needle-free 'injection' - a blast of air that delivers it into the skin. It has already been part of safety trials conducted at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, but now recruitment is being expanded to Cambridge.
Professor Heeney said: "We're excited to be bringing our vaccine 'home' and are looking to recruit healthy volunteers to help in this crucial stage of development towards what we hope will eventually become a universal coronavirus vaccine.
"Our vaccine is innovative, both in terms of how it aims to protect against thevirus responsible for our current pandemic and future coronaviruses, but also in how it is delivered. If you're someone who hates needles, our vaccine could be the answer as it's delivered by a jet of air, not a needle."
If the clinical trials are successful, the vaccine could be scaled up and manufactured as a powder to boost global vaccination efforts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
