3M Drug Delivery Systems and Panacea Pharmaceuticals have advanced their collaboration to deliver Panacea’s investigational cancer vaccine directly to the dermis via the 3M Hollow Microstructured Transdermal System (hMTS). The first patient in the Phase I clinical trial has been dosed with Panacea’s cancer vaccine using the hMTS.
 
“Panacea and 3M have had a great relationship and we’re excited to continue working with them,” said Silvia Perez, president and general manager of 3M Drug Delivery Systems. “Our hollow microneedles bring a new value proposition to their work with therapeutic cancer vaccines – offering the convenience of a transdermal patch paired with a coveted high-volume, reproducible delivery capability to the dermis.” 
 
“Our preclinical studies have shown a potentially better immune response with the hMTS when compared to intramuscular dosing, and we’ve also seen good tolerability in safety studies,” said Steve Fuller, Ph.D., chief operating officer for Panacea Pharmaceuticals. “Because we need to deliver a 1 mL volume of our vaccine to the dermis, 3M’s hMTS is the delivery method of choice for our therapeutic cancer vaccine project moving forward.”  
 
According to the company, 3M hMTS offers several benefits, including reproducible intradermal delivery, the ability to deliver formulations up to 2 mL with various viscosities, and better immune response for vaccines than classic intramuscular injection.