The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is partnering with Jurata Thin Film Inc. to develop a wafer-like mRNA film that can be stored at room temperature and taken under the tongue for needle-free vaccine delivery.
The partnership will begin with a $1.2 million investment to help Jurata develop its proprietary vaccine platform, which the company says stabilizes mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticle vaccine technologies in a thin film.
Jurata claims the film is designed to be “thermostable,” produced and stored at room temperature and remain stable for three years, eliminating the need for energy-intensive cold storage required by current mRNA vaccines.
The film can be placed inside the cheek or under the tongue to deliver the vaccine. It can also be rehydrated with an aqueous solution and taken nasally or through other means that don’t require passage through the digestive tract.
Jurata and CEPI tout the technology as key to getting vaccines to poor people across the world. “If shown to be successful,” CEPI said in its press release, the technology will “help expand access to mRNA vaccines in underserved regions and advance the global response to future emerging infectious disease outbreaks.”
However, scientists who spoke to The Defender said that “success” seemed unlikely anytime soon. They also said the technology could pose problems even beyond the serious known risks with existing mRNA transfection technology.
Brian Hooker, Ph.D., senior director of science and research at Children’s Health Defense (CHD), said:
“Vaccines require cold storage (mostly refrigeration) and mRNA vaccines are especially susceptible to heat damage during shipping and storage. A thermostable platform completely eliminates the need for refrigeration and would be a huge breakthrough in getting rid of ‘cold chain requirements’ in delivering vaccines to the developing world and would also constitute a big cost savings in deployment overall.
“But outside of the other obvious issues with mRNA vaccines, I would be worried that the mRNA wouldn’t be as thermostable as purported and this would induce sequence mutations and other damage to the genetic code.”
Jurata is a small biotech firm developing the films for vaccine delivery and other therapeutics. Its founders also founded Bamboo Therapeutics; a gene therapy biotech company acquired in 2016 by Pfizer in a deal valued at $827 million…
Children's Health Defense 
