Phylex Biosciences Inc. has announced plans to pursue the development of a nanoparticle mRNA vaccine against the Nipah virus. Last year, the company published proof of principle for its second-generation nanoparticle mRNA vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 delta virus.
Transimmune AG has been awarded a $5 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Strategic Investment Fund that will be used to leverage Transimmune’s physiologically induced dendritic cells (phDCs) to enhance the potency of mRNA vaccines in infectious diseases. The initial focus will be on a therapeutic vaccine for people with HIV.
Spybiotech Ltd. has filed a clinical trial application (CTA) with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to evaluate SPYVLP-01, a vaccine targeting human cytomegalovirus (CMV) using its hepatitis B virus-like-particle platform technology.
Evaxion Biotech A/S has announced the initiation of a novel pipeline program, EVX-B3, an artificial intelligence (AI)-designed vaccine candidate against an undisclosed bacterial pathogen. The new vaccine project will be the subject of a co-funded collaboration between Evaxion and an undisclosed partner.
Biontech SE and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) have established a strategic partnership to advance mRNA-based vaccine candidates with the development of BNT-166 for the prevention of mpox (formerly monkeypox).
Instead of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines comprising both the original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 SARS-CoV-2 strains that have been in use in the U.S. since April, the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices voted 13-1 Sept. 12 to recommend the universal use of updated monovalent XBB-containing COVID-19 vaccines as authorized or approved by the FDA.
Moderna Inc. has more than COVID-19 vaccines in the hopper, and the company aims to add still more oomph by way of an oncology deal with Immatics NV that could be worth more than $1.7 billion for the latter, which banks $120 million up front and stands to collect research funding as well.
Brii Biosciences Ltd.’s therapeutic vaccine for hepatitis B (HBV), BRII-179 (VBI-2601), induced functional immune responses – inducing broad antibody and T-cell responses – in patients with chronic HBV in a phase II trial that evaluated the vaccine in combination with pegylated interferon-alfa, according to interim results.
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, represents a relatively new class of therapeutics with the potential to prevent and treat a wide range of diseases. A well-known success story is of the mRNA vaccines that controlled the COVID-19 pandemic, which has fueled enthusiasm for the field. But biotechs are also developing mRNA candidates for several other infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, as well for cancer, autoimmune and allergic diseases. However, delivering nucleic acid therapeutics can be challenging, since mRNA cannot get into cells on its own.
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