The Lancet recently published a study that demonstrates that the delivery of a Zika virus vaccine with the PharmaJet Stratis Needle-free Jet injector resulted in a higher immune response as compared with administration via needle and syringe. Needle-free injectors are known to augment DNA vaccine response, possibly by increased dispersion of injectate or through tissue disruption that increases immunogenicity. The GMT after split-dose needle-free delivery of VRC5283 was six times higher than that after single -dose delivery via needle and syringe.
Over 700,000 cases of Zika virus infection have been reported in the Americas since 2015. The emergence of Zika virus challenged the scientific community to address a relatively uncharacterized pathogen posing a substantial threat to international public health. The two DNA vaccines assessed in this study were safe and well tolerated, and both were immunogenic. But, the greatest effects seen were with VRC5283 given in split doses via needle-free injection in the VRC 320 trial. One hundred percent (100%) of participants who received the vaccine by needle-free injection in split doses had detectable antibody responses and had neutralizing antibody and T-cell responses of the greatest magnitude.
To learn more, please refer to the full study, which was published in The Lancet on December 7, 2017: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)33105-7/fulltext