Boosting vaccines without the prick

French specialty biopharmaceutical company DBV Technologies, the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and BioNet-Asia Co. Ltd  have fired the starting pistol for their proof of concept Phase I clinical trial testing Viaskin rPT in the reactivation of immunity against Bordetella pertussis in adults. They announced that the first the first subject has been enrolled for the study that is being conducted under the supervision of Claire-Anne Siegrist from the Clinical Research Center of the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG).

With this pertussis vaccination programme, DBV aims to test the ability of its needleless and adjuvant-free patch technology, Viaskin, to epicutaneously deliver two doses of BioNet’s genetically detoxified, recombinant pertussis toxin (rPT) to boost immunity against whooping cough. Utilising the skin’s immune properties for vaccination is a paradigm shift in this field, commented Pierre-Henri Benhamou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DBV. This valuable collaboration with HUG and BioNet has the potential to be a breakthrough in vaccinations; if Professor Siegrist and her team can replicate the in vivo results in humans, Viaskin rPT could be the first non-invasive and self-administrable vaccine to be developed for boosting pertussis immunity." 

Claire-Anne Siegrist, Director of the Center of Vaccinology of HUG,said: We know that regular boosters are needed to maintain protection against pertussis, and our preclinical studies showed that the reactivation of immune memory may be achieved using Viaskin. We are eagerly looking forward to assessing whether this is similarly effective in humans, as the possibility of using needleless and adjuvant-free booster vaccines would be a change of paradigm in our approach to the prevention of pertussis and of other vaccine preventable diseases.