Government of Canada investment boosts McMaster vaccine and biomanufacturing research

A needle-free inhaled vaccine platform in development at McMaster University is one step closer to protecting Canadians from future pandemic threats, thanks to $780,000 in new funding from the federal government.

Announced today by Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the support will allow McMaster researchers to adapt their inhaled COVID-19 vaccine so that it can protect against other viral threats, like influenza.

“Our inhaled vaccine platform has shown real promise as a COVID-19 intervention,” says principal investigator Matthew Miller, who is a professor of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster.

“With this new support, we can adapt our next-generation vaccine technology so that it also protects against other viruses with pandemic potential.”

The platform, which was initially developed by McMaster researchers Zhou Xing and Fiona Smaill in the early 2000s to protect against tuberculosis, uses a personal inhalation device to deliver vaccines directly to the lungs and upper airways, where respiratory pathogens first enter the body.

A liquid vaccine is placed into a personal nebulizer, which converts it into a fine mist that the recipient intentionally inhales. Administration requires the use of this personal device, meaning an individual cannot be unknowingly immunized with the vaccine.

Miller notes that the inhaled vaccine’s needle-free approach to immunization provides an alternative for people who experience pain, stress or anxiety associated with needles.

The COVID-19 version is currently advancing through Phase 2 human trials, which have so far indicated that the technology is both safe and capable of generating robust mucosal immunity.

The new funding, part of a wave of investments in Canada’s life sciences sector, also included $1.55 million for the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub (CP2H), which Miller co-directs with partners in Ottawa.

Through CP2H, Miller and many other McMaster researchers are working with a national team of collaborators to bolster Canada’s domestic capacity for translating novel biotherapeutic discoveries into new clinical products with commercialization potential.

The renewed federal support will extend and expand the hub’s existing pandemic preparedness activities while also supporting the development of new dual-use health technologies, including products with direct public security applications.

“Building capacity in health emergency readiness requires strategic coordination that brings together diverse expertise, infrastructure, and partners,” says Miller, who is also the executive director of NexusHealth at McMaster and scientific director of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research.

“CP2H and the other hubs are helping to build that coordination across Canada, and this new funding will allow us to do so into the future.”

The funding — for both the vaccine research and the hub — reflects Canada’s continued commitment to strengthening its health security, sovereignty and defence capacity.

“A strong life sciences sector is essential to protecting the health and security of Canadians while supporting economic growth, jobs, and innovation,” Joly said in a release.

“We are investing in the research, industrial capacity, and cutting-edge solutions that will improve the lives of Canadians, respond to emerging threats, and strengthen Canada’s resilience and competitiveness for future generations.”