Micron Biomedical Secures $43 Million in Total Grant Support to Improve Coverage of Measles and Rubella Vaccine and Accelerate World’s First Phase 2 Trial of Needle-Free Drug and Vaccine Technology in Infants

• New $7.5M grant builds on prior funding and follows positive phase 1/2 data recently published in The Lancet
• Gates Foundation’s David Robinson joins Micron Biomedical’s Board as an observer to support the accelerated commercialization of Micron’s technology

/EIN News/ -- ATLANTA, Jan. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Biomedical, a life science company developing the world’s first needle-free technology for drugs and vaccines that is based on dissolvable microarrays, today announced the company secured a $7.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that brings total grant funding from the organization to $43 million.

The grant will support Micron’s efforts in increasing access to measles-rubella (MR) vaccine and this latest tranche will fund ongoing manufacturing scale-up efforts and activities to support a phase 2 trial in infants. David Robinson, Deputy Director, Vaccine Development & Surveillance, Gates Foundation, will join Micron Biomedical’s board as an observer.

“The continued funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to aid our work to increase access to the MR vaccine has been pivotal in Micron Biomedical’s progress toward making lifesaving and life-changing life science innovations more available and accessible,” said Steven Damon, CEO of Micron Biomedical. “This grant builds on previous funding that helped generate the positive phase 1/2 data that demonstrated our ability to overcome challenges getting preventive treatment to people who currently lack access and will accelerate our efforts toward commercialization so that we can help to make critical pharmaceuticals more easily accessible and available.”

The eradication of measles is possible because the measles vaccine is highly effective and there is no known animal reservoir of the disease, yet inequitable immunization coverage persists. A study recently published in The Lancet that involved Micron’s needle-free microarray technology was the first to demonstrate the safety, immunogenicity, and acceptability of a vaccine delivered to children as young as 9 months old via any needle-free microarray technology. The research involved the leading commercially available MR vaccine.

Measles remains a serious global health risk that kills an estimated three children per 1,000 that contract the disease¹, with a disproportionate impact in areas where access to vaccines is complicated by limited clinicians, refrigeration and centralized healthcare. Previous grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded the phase 1/2 trial and funded the development of commercial manufacturing equipment that will produce the MR vaccines at global scale.

According to the World Health Organization, children should be vaccinated against measles between the ages of 9 and 12 months, then again between 15–18 months². However, common infrastructure-related barriers preclude millions globally from accessing life-saving vaccines and therapeutics. In low- and middle-income countries, measles remains a leading cause of death, primarily due to limited access to vaccines that require refrigeration during transport and storage and clinicians to administer them. Micron is developing a needle-free version of the MR vaccine based on its microarray technology which reduces the need for a cold chain and could enable a non-clinician to administer the vaccine. Micron’s MR vaccine is administered by applying the technology to the skin and pressing a button that confirms administration. The administration of the vaccine is virtually painless.                                                                            

Micron’s technology has been recognized for its potential to achieve positive global impact and be game-changing in hard-to-reach settings. In addition to improving access to vaccines and therapeutics in low- and middle-income countries, Micron’s technology has an opportunity to improve health globally as the evidence reflects that patient reluctance to receive injectable medicine can lead to delayed therapy, treatment avoidance, and vaccine hesitancy in higher income countries. The technology’s broad impact also includes US national health security, as well as veteran and military health.

About Micron Biomedical
Micron Biomedical is the leader in dissolvable microarray-based, drug and vaccine administration technology. Micron Biomedical is a clinical-stage life science company on a rapid path to commercializing its proprietary dissolvable, microarray technology. Micron's technology is designed to improve access and achieve better health outcomes globally through injection-free, painless, and simple and/or self-administration of drugs and vaccines, and by eliminating or reducing the need for cold chain transport and storage, enhancing safety and efficacy, and improving patient compliance. Micron partners with and/or receives funding from private and public entities including pharmaceutical and biotech companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PATH and the Georgia Research Alliance.

For more information visit www.micronbiomedical.com.

Media Inquiries:
Shira Derasmo
917-280-2497
pr@micronbiomedical.com

Partnership Inquiries
Micron Biomedical, Inc
bd@micronbiomedical.com

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1} Centers for Disease Control, May 2024 https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html
² World Health Organization, Aug 2023 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles