Possible COVID-19 Vaccine Discovered in U. of Pitt Study

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Mia Bertoldi, Reporter
April 7, 2020

A possible COVID-19 vaccine has been discovered at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UMPC).

A University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientist holds out a microneedle array. The device is a “fingertip-sized patch of 400 tiny needles” used to deliver the vaccine quickly and with maximum potency. (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine)

According to UMPC, “When tested in mice, the vaccine, delivered through a fingertip-sized patch, produces antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 at quantities thought to be sufficient for neutralizing the virus.”

The vaccine was able to be acted on so quickly because of prior work the university had done with the SARS-CoV in 2003 and the MERS-CoV in 2014.

The researchers delivered their vaccine, called PittCoVacc, short for Pittsburgh Coronavirus Vaccine, with a microneedle array.  The array is a fingertip sized piece of plastic with 400 needles to deliver the vaccine quickly and with maximum potency.

The authors are currently seeking approval by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

If approved, there is hope to get a human clinical trial started in the next few months.