RegulatoryOfficial

MHRA study advances needle-free Strep A vaccine approach in mouse model

🇬🇧 MHRA · Tue 27 Oct 2026

MHRA scientists and the GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health report that nasal or sublingual delivery of a GMMA-based Strep A vaccine produced immune responses in mice.

Scientists at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have published pre-clinical research suggesting a vaccine against group A streptococcus (Strep A) could be given without a needle. The work was done with the GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health and appeared this month in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics.

The candidate uses Generalised Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA), tiny bubbles that bacteria shed naturally. In this design they act both as a carrier for the Strep A carbohydrate and as an adjuvant. The researchers gave the vaccine through the nose or under the tongue. They report immune responses at the mucosal surfaces of the nose and throat, where Strep A establishes infection, as well as throughout the body.

Dr Fatme Mawas, Head of Conjugate Vaccines at the MHRA, said the work shows the potential of GMMA technology to support "a new generation of affordable, needle-free vaccines". She added that the approach could make vaccines easier to give and more accessible, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and could help reduce antibiotic use and support efforts against antimicrobial resistance.

No Strep A vaccine is currently licensed. The MHRA cites estimates of more than 600 million infections worldwide each year, with complications linked to over 500,000 deaths. The agency stresses that the study was carried out in a mouse model, so the results are pre-clinical. It forms part of the MHRA's wider research programme on vaccine science, immunology, assay development and novel delivery technologies.

What it means for your team

  • The findings are pre-clinical, in mice only, and create no regulatory, safety or compliance obligations for industry at this stage.
  • The publication shows the MHRA is investing in research on mucosal and needle-free vaccine delivery, an area that may shape future scientific discussions with the agency.
  • Teams working on vaccines or adjuvants may want to note the GMMA platform and the MHRA's stated interest in assay development and novel delivery technologies.

Official source: MHRA ↗

Article written by VigiEye from the official source (MHRA). AI-assisted; check the source before acting.

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