Dissolving Microneedle Delivery of a Prophylactic HPV Vaccine

Prophylactic vaccines capable of preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are still inaccessible to a vast majority of the global population due to their high cost and challenges related to multiple administrations performed in a medical setting. In an effort to improve distribution and administration, we have developed dissolvable microneedles loaded with a thermally stable HPV vaccine candidate consisting of Q beta virus-like particles (VLPs) displaying a highly conserved epitope delivery of Q beta-HPV produces similar amounts of anti-HPV16 L2 IgG antibodies compared to traditional subcutaneous injection while delivering a much smaller amount of intradermal dose. However, a dose sparing effect was found. Furthermore, immunization yielded neutralizing antibody responses in a HPV pseudovirus assay. The vaccine candidate was confirmed to be stable at room temperature after storage for several months, potentially mitigating many of the challenges associated with cold-chain distribution. The ease of self-administration and minimal invasiveness of such microneedle patch vaccines may enable wide-scale distribution of the HPV vaccine and lead to higher patient compliance. The Q beta VLP and its delivery technology is a plug-and-play system that could serve as a universal platform with a broad range of applications. Q beta VLPs may be stockpiled for conjugation to a wide range of epitopes, which are then packaged and delivered directly to the patient via noninvasive microneedle patches. Such a system paves the way for rapid distribution and self-administration of vaccines.

Automated summary

Prophylactic HPV vaccines are currently inaccessible to many due to cost and administration challenges. This study developed dissolvable microneedles loaded with a thermally stable HPV vaccine candidate. The vaccine showed similar antibody responses and dose sparing effect compared to traditional injection, and it can be stored at room temperature for easy distribution. The self-administration and minimal invasiveness of the microneedle patch may lead to better patient compliance, and the technology has broad applications.