Vaxxinity Inc. has announced a research collaboration with the University of Florida’s (UF) Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CTRND) to support its work on the development of vaccines for neurodegenerative diseases.

Be it viral, nucleic acid or protein vaccines, recent efforts that led to the first regulatory approvals for not only COVID-19, but also for malaria and respiratory syncytial virus, positioned infectious diseases in the headlines for much of the last four years.

Be it viral, nucleic acid or protein vaccines, recent efforts that led to the first regulatory approvals for not only COVID-19, but also for malaria and respiratory syncytial virus, positioned infectious diseases in the headlines for much of the last four years. But despite that attention, or the threat of future pandemics, or the numerous infectious diseases for which there are no preventable vaccines and very little development activity, the level of private and public funding for biopharma companies working in the space is dismal – at least compared with that of oncology products, according to a new analysis report released by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) on Jan. 25.

Capricor Therapeutics Inc.'s Stealthx exosome-based multivalent vaccine for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 has been selected to be part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Project Nextgen initiative aimed at developing COVID-19 vaccines offering broader and more durable protection.

Reithera Srl, The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, and IAVI have established a collaboration to develop a novel HIV vaccine candidate based on gorilla adenoviral vector (GRAd), with funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Promis Neurosciences Inc. has selected a lead vaccine candidate, PMN-400, against synucleinopathies, including multiple system atrophy, Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is awarding Syntiron US$1.7 million to develop a maternal vaccine that targets Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, two bacterial species that cause a large portion of neonatal sepsis infections.

PDC*line Pharma SA has announced the selection of the PDC*neo+ project for funding by the Walloon region of Belgium and Biowin, the health cluster for Wallonia.

PDC*line Pharma SA has received €4.7 million (US$5.1 million) in public funding as part of a €12.5 million project to apply its allogeneic leukemia-derived dendritic cell line in the development of personalized vaccines for treating colorectal cancer.