Vaxxas Appoints Veteran Vaccine Leader to Board as Company Advances Needle-Free Vaccine Patch Towards Market
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Seasoned global pharmaceutical executive, Mr Brent MacGregor, joins Vaxxas Board to accelerate self-administered HD-MAP vaccines for global use;
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SPRIM Global Investment’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Mr Michael Shleifer appointed Board Observer following recent ~$90 million financing.
BRISBANE, Australia and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Australian biotechnology company Vaxxas Pty Ltd, today announced the appointment of Mr Brent MacGregor as Independent Non-Executive Director to the Vaxxas Board. Mr MacGregor brings deep global experience in vaccine and medical device commercialisation to Vaxxas as the company advances its high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology for self-administered vaccination towards market.
Mr MacGregor is CEO of Medical Developments International (ASX: MVP), an Australian company committed to developing and distributing medicines and medical devices, including Penthrox®, known as “The Green Whistle” for acute pain, and a range of spacers for asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) sufferers. These products are marketed in more than 25 countries. He also serves on the Board of Dynavax Technologies.
Prior to joining MVP, Mr MacGregor led global and regional vaccine businesses at CSL Seqirus, Novartis Vaccines and Sanofi Pasteur. With more than three decades of experience commercialising vaccines and new medical devices, across four continents, he will provide extensive insights as Vaxxas moves to commercialise the HD-MAP.
OneVentures Partner and Vaxxas Chair, Ms Sarah Meibusch said the appointment provides Vaxxas with a strategic advantage as the company focuses on commercialising its HD-MAP technology platform. “Vaxxas is entering a pivotal phase; scaling manufacturing and executing the clinical pathway required to deliver a convenient, self-administered, needle-free vaccination option,” Ms Meibusch said. “Brent has built and run major vaccine businesses and understands exactly how to translate platform potential into adoption across global markets. His leadership will help us move faster from clinic to commercial reality.”
MVP CEO and Vaxxas Non-Executive Director Mr MacGregor said, “Vaxxas’ proprietary HD-MAP technology platform represents a compelling alternative to the needle and syringe method we’ve been using to deliver vaccines for many decades. The possibility of needle-free vaccine administration that simplifies supply chains, reduces the need for cold-chain storage and distribution, and creates opportunities for self-administration in the home, could dramatically improve vaccine access and uptake on a global scale, thereby positively impacting public health.”
Joining Mr MacGregor as Board Observer is Mr Michael Shleifer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SPRIM Global Investments, who led Vaxxas’ recent ~$90 million financing.
On his appointment, Mr Shleifer added, “We see HD-MAP technology as a once-in-a-generation delivery platform. We’re excited to be supporting Vaxxas at this critical junction as it transitions towards market.”
Momentum towards market
Vaxxas recently installed the first robotic manufacturing lines at its 5,500m2 state-of-the-art biomedical manufacturing facility in Brisbane, which will support the development of HD-MAP vaccine product for later-stage clinical trial programs.
Vaxxas has completed six Phase I clinical trials with the HD-MAP platform to date and works with partners including SK bioscience, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Wellcome Trust, the US Government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Gates Foundation. The trials have involved over 750 participants and assessed the potential of the technology to address some of the world’s biggest health challenges including COVID-19, flu, and measles and rubella.
About Vaxxas
Vaxxas is a clinical-stage private biotechnology company pioneering its proprietary high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) for needle-free vaccine delivery. The HD-MAP has been administered to more than 750 participants across multiple clinical trials, showing strong safety, tolerability, and robust immune responses. Preclinical and clinical data demonstrate the technology’s ability to deliver all major vaccine modality types including live attenuated, protein subunit, and mRNA positioning the platform as a universal delivery solution. By targeting immune cells just beneath the skin, the HD-MAP can achieve stronger protection with smaller doses, while reducing cold-chain requirements and enabling self-administration. With the potential to disrupt the multibillion-dollar global vaccine market by improving access, reducing costs, and expanding coverage, Vaxxas is now scaling manufacturing and advancing its lead programs toward commercialisation from its base in Brisbane, Australia.
About HD-MAP needle-free vaccines
Vaxxas’ high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) is comprised of thousands of microscopic projections moulded into a small patch. Each microprojection is ‘printed’ with a small dose of vaccine in a dried formulation. When applied to the skin, the patch delivers the vaccine to the abundant immune cells that naturally reside immediately below the skin surface.
HD-MAP vaccine delivery has the potential to overcome challenges faced by traditional needle and syringe delivery of vaccines. The HD-MAP delivery of the vaccine has been shown in early clinical studies to be more stable at higher temperatures than vaccines in liquid formulations, potentially reducing the need for cold-chain storage and distribution. Previous studies have also shown the safety and tolerability of Vaxxas’ HD-MAP for use in vaccine delivery and inducing equal or greater immune responses to injected vaccines at lower doses. HD-MAP vaccines are designed to be self-administered in the future to enable home delivery.
Vaxxas continues to grow the body of evidence supporting its HD-MAP technology with vaccine programs underway in partnership with Geovax, SK biosciences, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Wellcome Trust, the US Government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Gates Foundation.
The Vaxxas HD-MAP delivered vaccines are currently for investigational (clinical) use only. They are currently not available anywhere in the world for sale or purchase. As such, Vaxxas makes no claim that the vaccines are reliable, durable, dependable, safe, or effective, and makes no claim that it is superior to any other vaccine or vaccine delivery technology.
For all media enquiries, please contact: Australia Amy Miller We. Communications +61 431 072 422 amymi@we-worldwide.com
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