Vaxess Technologies

Vaxess is a medical company in Massachusetts focusing on lowering the cost of vaccine distribution. Founded 2011 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States by Fiorenzo Omenetto, Kathryn Kosuda, Livio Valenti, Michael Schrader and Patrick Ho, Vaxess Technologies has raised a total of $19.8M in funding over 14 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on June 27, 2019 from a Series A round. The company is funded by 11 investors, with BioInnovation Capital and The Engine as the most recent investors. Vaxess is commercializing a proprietary technology that uses a silk-derived protein to stabilize vaccines so they can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and a novel sustained release microneedle for improved vaccine delivery. The company's platform uses the properties of fibroin, a protein derived from naturally-sourced silk fibers for creating vaccines which are stable even under extreme environmental conditions.

Vaxess developed a drug patch delivery system called MIMIX that removes the need for refrigerated storage and syringes and allows vaccines to be shipped to patients for self-administration. The applicator deploys a pain-free patch to the forearm that delivers a vaccine or drug into the skin after five minutes. The patch uses smart-release technology to release slowly, which triggers an immune response similar to that of an actual infection. The patch is constructed with silk-based material that protects the vaccine and keeps it stable without refrigeration. At home delivery of vaccines and therapeutics could reduce transmission of infectious diseases to healthcare workers, and could be helpful as COVID-19 vaccines and treatments become available.