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Potential coronavirus vaccine shows promise

Posted at 6:18 AM, Apr 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-03 06:18:22-04

Pittsburgh, PA -- Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, along with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) believe they may have a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The vaccine itself works like a flu vaccine, but the delivery system is unique.
It’s called a micro-needle array, and it looks like a small bandage with tiny spikes.

“What the micro-needle array is able to do is to deliver the vaccine antigen into those areas of the skin that are made to make an immune response,” said Doctor Louis Falo. “And so it results in a very potent vaccine.”

The vaccine uses pieces of lab-made viral protein. Those are injected into the skin from 400 tiny needles on the micro-array.

The needles are the cure: they’re made of sugar, and the vaccine. When they go into your skin, they dissolve, and the array is then thrown away.

The vaccine has been successfully tested in mice. The next step is to get FDA approval for human trials.

That could happen in a few months.

As for how the patch feels when it is put on, doctors say it’s like rubbing a piece of Velcro on your skin.

You can find out more about the micro-needle array, as well as UPMC’s vaccination on their website.