muPharma - non invasive drug delivery devices

technology.

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Non-invasive drug and vaccine delivery device for blinding ocular diseases, infectious diseases and other applications

muPharma's ultrasound based technologies* enables a desired drug or vaccine to be non-invasively delivered to the desired target tissue.

Our novel devices are directly applied to permit drugs and vaccines to be delivered through tissue without the need for reformulation, penetration enhancers or adjuvants. The ultrasound generated by the device briefly increases the tissue permeability and permits the drug or vaccine to be non-invasively delivered.

muPharma owns all intellectual property relating to the devices including multiple granted patents and patent applications currently being pursued across the world. All laboratory work in relation to muPharma's devices has been carried out by various Australian universities (including the Australian National University and Monash University) who are part of the Group of Eight Universities.

The device consists of a re-usable handpiece and single use, disposable drug or vaccine containing tips. The tips contain a non-reactive, solid substrate with fabricated microscopic scale features that do not pierce or otherwise damage tissue and hold a precise volume of solution to be delivered. The device can also be in the form of a single use, disposable, all-in-one system. muPharma's technology is a different invention to and distinct from that of Seagull Technologies which used a polymeric gel formulation to hold a drug.

Our focus has been non-invasive ocular drug delivery and the creation of robust mucosal immunity.

Our needle-free technology has been proven to be safe and has achieved:

drug delivery to the retina through the external coats of the eye;
drug delivery directly to the cornea; and
vaccine delivery via the inside of the lip eliciting a protective level of mucosal and systemic cellular immunity to influenza virus.

Commercialisation Assistance Grant Recipient Click for ANFF Media Release

muPharma feature article

A re-usable hand held actuator powers and monitors disposable tips that are directly applied to tissue.

Sterile, single use, disposable tips. The tips contain a non-reactive,

biocompatible, solid substrate with fabricated microscopic scale features to hold the drug/vaccine in solution to be delivered.

Example of nanoscale features in silicon (magnified)

Example of microscale features in silicon (magnified)

A disposable, single use, all-in-one device that contains the actuator and tip.

Ophthalmology

Elimination of intra-ocular injections and corneal tissue trauma

muPharma's novel ocular device has delivered large and small molecule drugs to the front or back of the eye.

The technology has been proven to be safe and has achieved:

non-invasive delivery of biologics (including monoclonal antibody drugs) to the retina particularly for the treatment of wet Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Macular Edema; and
non-invasive delivery of Riboflavin to the cornea for Collagen Cross-Linking to treat Keratoconus.

Future opportunities include non-invasive delivery of novel drugs to the back of the eye for dry Macular Degeneration and inflammatory eye conditions.

muPharma case study

Immunology

Needle-free creation of mucosal immunity provides superior protection and prevents transmission

muPharma's novel vaccine device has delivered vaccines to the mucous membrane on the inside of the lip and created robust mucosal as well as systemic immunity to influenza and HIV viruses. The device can be also be applied to the mucous membrane on the inside of the nose.

Many communicable pathogens (including Covid-19 and Influenza) initiate infection at mucosal tissue surfaces. Mucosal immunity provides an immune defense at the site where these pathogens first enter and is the most powerful and effective means of protection. Although intra-muscular and subcutaneous injections are widely used for vaccination and are effective at inducing circulating antibodies and immune cells in the blood, they are less effective in inducing mucosal antibodies and immune cells that reside in the mucous membrane at the pathogen’s site of entry.

Opportunities include:

preventing COVID-19 transmission which has not been achieved by the current generation of injected COVID-19 vaccines; and
the creation of mucosal immunity against diseases that enter the body via mucous membranes including COVID-19, Influenza, Norovirus, Chlamydia, HIV, Tuberculosis as well as a host of other communicable pathogens.