From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
An Ontario-based biotechnology company and researchers from McMaster University have teamed up to develop a potential new method for delivering COVID-19 vaccines that would use an oral strip instead of a needle.
The thin strips, which would be infused with COVID-19 vaccine, would dissolve in the recipient’s mouth in approximately 11 seconds – much like a breath strip.
Mark Upsdell, the CEO of Rapid Dose Therapeutics (RDT), the biotechnology company developing the strips, explained that as the strip dissolves, the vaccine dose, or antigen, crosses through the blood-brain barrier and travels into the bloodstream.
“What we've developed is an oral thin film strip that is precise, convenient, and a discreet way to deliver drugs,” he told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday.
While the product is still in its early stages of development, RDT recently announced the results of a preclinical study on animal models that showed their strips were effective at delivering model proteins through the buccal or sublingual route (strip placed on the inside of the cheek or under the tongue) to elicit an immune response.
These first results also showed that the proteins infused in the oral strips remained stable at 40 C, which would eliminate the need for refrigeration to store them. Given that some COVID-19 vaccines, such as those produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, require storage at temperatures ranging from -15 C to -80 C, the oral strips could be especially useful from a transportation perspective.
“With the ability to infuse the product and stabilize it at 40 C, which is above room temperature, now we can distribute the strip with a vaccine across the globe,” Upsdell said.
He said that many warm countries still in need of COVID-19 vaccines might not have the same supply of freezers and shipping methods for temperature-controlled products as Canada, so the vaccine strips could be a beneficial option for those places.
“When you start looking at where the warm countries are and the logistics or the infrastructure to support that logistics system, the ability to put it into a strip and deliver it is, we believe, is game changing,” he said.
Jason Lewis, senior vice president of RDT, added that the majority of the world “struggles with obtaining and distributing” needle-based therapies.
“Cold-chain storage and transportation requirements, the need for highly trained personnel for administration, the cost of procurement and delivery of vials and syringes, not to mention the very real human fear of needles, can result in prolonged duration of a pandemic,” he said in a recent press release.
“A shelf-stable, individually-administered, orally-delivered vaccine would alleviate many of these challenges.”
Following the results of the first study, RDT announced they’re entering into the second stage of animal studies that aims to infuse the oral strips with SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, provided by the National Research Council of Canada, to see if they will stimulate an immune response.
“We’ve been able to stabilize the vaccine, we’ve been able to check the box that it dissolves in your mouth and enters the bloodstream. The current processes is we’re now measuring what they call the immune response and that is how much was delivered into the system,” Upsdell said.
Upsdell said the oral strips could be of use in the future if there is a need for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines or for other medications and treatments.
“It could be for a booster shot. It could be for the flu vaccine, it could be dengue [fever], West Nile virus, so it’s just not limited to the COVID vaccine,” Upsdell said. “The delivery system will facilitate a lot of these other vaccines and I’ll say serums.”
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.