Vaccine Delivery of the Future
Next-generation vaccines are based on nucleic acid sequences that represent snippets of the genome from the pathogen we want immunity from. These carefully chosen genetic snippets must be delivered into our cells, specifically the cytoplasm for RNA vaccines and the nucleus for DNA vaccines. From there our own cells use those snippets to produce proteins that trigger the immune response. Easy peasy right? Well, getting the snippets into our cells turns out to be the hard part. Platforms that accomplish this reliably enable the inherent benefits of nucleic acid vaccines: rapid vaccine design, manufacturing, high levels of patient safety and performance that can be superior to natural immune responses.
The goal of drug delivery is to present the right compounds to the right tissues and cells. The formulation magicians want to get these into standard forms to make production and distribution and delivery reliable and cost effective. Sometimes, between the formulation magic, there arise needs for device-style innovation to play a role in the logistics, training, preparation and delivery process.
Case in point was a project we worked on to support the launch of Amgen’s Enbrel. The early version of the bio-therapeutic required a freeze-dried formulation for stability. The process of reconstitution presented a high bar for the patient population, rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. Design-thinking was applied throughout the ideation process which resulted in a custom tool to remove vial and syringe caps. The solution shipped with the early dose kits to ease the patient workflow.