SBIR Phase II: Design and production of a next generation vaccine to prevent COVID

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to develop a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine that addresses the weaknesses of the current vaccines. While the current COVID-19 vaccines have saved countless lives and have allowed our society to get back to normal, they have their weaknesses. The boosters are sometimes not effective, and when they are, they have short-lived efficacy and they can have mild to severe side effects. These weaknesses not only put individuals at risk of getting sick with COVID or the side effects, but those weaknesses also compromise confidence in the vaccine, which affects compliance. The proposed project promises to produce a next-generation vaccine that has better efficacy and significantly reduced side effects, as well as increased duration of effectiveness. This could pave the way for an effective annual administration schedule of the vaccine booster that addresses new strains, much like the seasonal influenza vaccine. The proposed project intends to produce a next-generation vaccine that can renew confidence in vaccinating to prevent COVID-19. The project's objectives are to show that the vaccine candidate can not only create an immune response that can stop the spread of the virus but also kill the virus. Additionally, it is hoped that the project will show that the vaccine is safer than the current vaccines and that it promotes an immune response that lasts significantly longer than current vaccines. This will be accomplished by testing the vaccine in a Hamster model that simulates the human respiratory system well. Not only will efficacy be tested, but the longevity of the immune response will also be tested. As an additional objective of the study, the route of administration will be examined. The vaccine's effectiveness will be compared by administering it either through injection, nasal administration, or a microneedle patch. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.