UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Scientists Announce Potential Vaccine

UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Scientists Announce Potential Vaccine

Scientists at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have announced a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.

When tested in mice, the vaccine produces antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 at quantities thought to be enough to neutralize the virus. This marks the first study on a potential COVID-19 vaccine to be published after a critique from fellow scientists at outside institutions.


The research team calls this vaccine PittCoVacc, short for Pittsburgh Coronavirus Vaccine.

Scientists also use a new approach to deliver the drug, called a microneedle array, to increase potency. This array is a fingertip-sized patch of 400 tiny needles that deliver spike protein pieces into the skin, where the immune reaction is the strongest.

The patch goes on like a Band-Aid®, and the needles, which are made entirely of sugar and protein pieces, simply dissolve into the skin.