Reverse Peptide Vaccines Patent Covers the Use of Microneedle Skin Patch

A biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to enable synthetic vaccine development in the field of infectious diseases has filed a patent for its novel pandemic flu vaccine.

This new patent, entitled, ‘Reverse Peptide Vaccines’ covers the use of peptides derived from human influenza A, the most frequent influenza serotype, which causes the most major flu outbreaks in the USA.

The ‘simplicity of the microneedle skin patch delivery method means there are fewer issues related to administering vaccines,’ said Emergex Vaccines.

The conserved human HLA-associated peptide fragments covered by this patent are unexpectedly coded by a non-coding strand of RNA conserved in all current human influenza A viruses, including the strain that caused the 1918 ‘Spanish flu’. 

As these conserved HLA-associated peptide fragments are present in all human influenza A viruses, it suggests that they play a vital role in human-to-human viral transmission, said this press release.

Mutation of current circulating non-human influenza A viruses and mutations enabling the machinery for the generation of these human HLA-associated peptide fragments could have a serious implication in causing a future human flu pandemic.

“There is an urgent need for novel and innovative solutions that address the threat of a new global flu pandemic. We believe that our synthetic vaccines, combining several cutting-edge technologies could provide a solution,” said CEO, Professor Thomas Rademacher.

Emergex Vaccines is based in the UK and deploys a novel synthetic vaccine technology. The small nanoparticle size means its vaccines are suited to be administered by a microneedle skin patch.

Emergex’s synthetic T-cell stimulating influenza vaccines incorporating these human and potentially pandemic-specific targets are currently in pre-clinical testing.