Medicus Pharma (NASDAQ:MDCX) has agreed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Boston-based Helix Nanotechnologies to develop a new generation of vaccines that remain stable at room temperature.
The two companies plan to combine HelixNano’s technology, which uses messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) to instruct the immune system how to fight off infectious diseases, with Medicus’s method of delivering vaccines using dissolvable microneedle patches.
The technology aims to make vaccines that do not require cold storage and can be administered without needles.
The announcement, made on Monday, sets out a framework for the companies to explore forming a joint venture that would see them co-develop and commercialize thermostable mRNA vaccines.
As part of this plan, the companies will start by producing a batch of vaccine patches for a clinical study to compare traditional injection with the microneedle patch.
Dr Raza Bokhari, Medicus’s executive chair and chief executive, said the deal could mark “a next generation vaccination paradigm,” with the goal of “needle-free, thermostable vaccines that could eliminate cold-chain logistics, reduce distribution costs, improve patient access and offer global scale.”
Microneedle array patches are designed to be pressed onto the skin, where they dissolve and release the vaccine. This approach could remove the need for refrigeration, which is often required for vaccines based on mRNA technology.
Before moving ahead with a formal joint venture, Medicus and HelixNano will run preliminary tests in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh under the direction of Dr Lou Falo, chair of the university’s dermatology department.
HelixNano will provide the vaccine material, while the university will test how well it can be loaded into Medicus’s patches.
Once all parties are satisfied, the loaded patches will be used in a human clinical trial.
Medicus, which also operates through its subsidiary SkinJect, has previously trialled its microneedle patches for treating skin cancer.
In June, the company announced plans to acquire Antev, a United Kingdom-based business developing a drug for advanced prostate cancer, though that deal still depends on shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Helix Nanotechnologies, founded in Boston, is developing mRNA-based therapies for infectious diseases, cancer, and organ transplants.
Both companies warn that the announcement contains statements about future events, which may or may not happen as expected.