Post by icemandios on Apr 2, 2024 13:13:40 GMT
VBI Vaccines Announces Expanded Strategic Partnership With Canadian Government To Advance MRNA-Launched EVLP (MLE) Vaccine Platform
VBI Vaccines and the Canadian government broaden scope of longstanding collaboration to accelerate development of VBI’s novel, mRNA-launched enveloped virus-like particle vaccine (“MLE”) technology platform
The partnership will direct CAD$28 million of funding remaining under the original CAD$56 million award to continue development of VBI’s two proprietary technology platforms
In parallel, VBI’s MLE technology is under evaluation by potential partners
“We are grateful for the continued support of our long-term partners in the Canadian government, and are pleased to extend our work together to investigate our novel MLE platform, which we think has the potential to revolutionize particulate vaccines,” said Jeff Baxter, President and CEO of VBI. “This funding will enable us to validate and expand this technology, one that we believe could have broad applicability.”
Additionally, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, the partnership will also support the development of stable cell lines, using proprietary gene-editing techniques to enable rapid updates depending on viral target, as well as the optimization of manufacturing timelines, processes, and yields sufficient to support late-stage clinical studies. Consistent with the strategic intent of the original agreement, development will primarily focus on platform development and will also include a pan-coronavirus MLE candidate to contribute toward future epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
About the mRNA-Launched eVLP (MLE) Program
Standard mRNA vaccines are transported to cells in a lipid nanoparticle, carrying instructions in the form of genetic code that teach the immune system to generate proteins that trigger an immune response to a target antigen. VBI’s MLE approach adds a structural viral protein core – the same protein at the core of VBI’s eVLPs – to an mRNA vaccine. The addition of this protein instructs cells not only to create target antigens, but also to create eVLPs in vivo , which then circulate in the body, provoking the immune system to drive potent B-cell and T-cell responses.
About VBI Vaccines Inc.
VBI Vaccines Inc. (“VBI”) is a biopharmaceutical company driven by immunology in the pursuit of powerful prevention and treatment of disease. Through its innovative approach to virus-like particles (“VLPs”), including a proprietary enveloped VLP (“eVLP”) platform technology and a proprietary mRNA-launched eVLP (“MLE”) platform technology, VBI develops vaccine candidates that mimic the natural presentation of viruses, designed to elicit the innate power of the human immune system. VBI is committed to targeting and overcoming significant infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, coronaviruses, and cytomegalovirus (CMV), as well as aggressive cancers including glioblastoma (GBM). VBI is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with research operations in Ottawa, Canada, and a research and manufacturing site in Rehovot, Israel.