Research

Global impact, local innovation

Research activities / References

Our vaccine technologies and CDMO services are used in collaborations, contracts, and partnerships worldwide. Explore some of the projects that are testament of our commitment to vaccine innovation and development.

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Addressing meningococcal group B infection

Meningitis B is an uncommon but serious disease caused by a bacterial infection in the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can also cause meningococcal septicemia. Liaoning Chengda Biotechnology CO., Ltd, (CDBIO) has an ongoing collaboration with Intravacc to advance a vaccine against Meningococcus type B built on our OMV platform. Both parties collaborate to tailor the vaccine for the Chinese market and CDBIO will receive a license to commercialize it.

A new approach to fighting gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is caused by a Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection. Left untreated, gonorrhea leads to reproductive health complications. Infections during pregnancy are associated with chorioamnionitis, preterm birth, spontaneous abortions, and other problems. Furthermore, the bacterium exhibits antimicrobial resistance, hindering treatment.

Intravacc was awarded a contract from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop a prophylactic intranasal vaccine against N. gonorrhoeae. The vaccine candidate combines our OMV technology with sustained-release microspheres containing recombinant human IL-12. Intravacc has developed a complete production process under GMP, and the vaccine will be tested in a phase I clinical trial.

Tackling acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)

Booster vaccines against a changing SARS-CoV-2

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 genome has rapidly mutated, resulting in numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants. Some of these variants are highly transmissible, cause more severe disease, or evade protection from therapeutics and/or vaccines. These have been designated Variants of Concern.

Our intranasal OMV-based SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine candidate, induces local mucosal immunity and a systemic response at the primary entry route of SARS-CoV-2 is targeted, potentially reducing viral replication at an early stage and blocking transmission. The vaccine has completed phase I first in-human clinical trial which demonstrated safety. Under an additional funding award from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), we are also working to develop vaccines that provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2, including its variants, and other Betacoronaviruses.

Global eradication of polio

One in 200 infections with poliovirus leads to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralyzed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. In January 2021, Intravacc announced the WHO pre-qualification for the Sabin-IPV (sIPV) vaccine Eupolio™. The vaccine was developed by Intravacc for technology transfer to manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries in the context of the global polio eradication initiative.

The South Korean company LG Chem signed a contract with UNICEF to supply 80 million USD worth of polio vaccine Eupolio™. Since 2012, the company supplies the vaccine to 70 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. In 2021, the Chinese National Medical Products Administration granted Sinovac Biotech LTD market authorization for its Sabin-IPV (sIPV) inactivated polio vaccine, which was developed by Intravacc and out-licensed to Sinovac. Our technology was also transferred to the Beijing company Minhai Biotechnology, and their sIPV vaccine is currently in phase II trials.

Type 1 diabetes prevention

Coxsackie virus B (CVB) has been found in the pancreas of ~60% of patients with type 1 diabetes. In fact, persistent CVB infection is significantly associated with the development of the disease and of celiac disease.

The pentavalent inactivated CVB vaccine, RV-101, is a potential vaccine for acute CVB infection and thus, may potentially prevent of up to 50% of type 1 diabetes and possibly 20% of celiac disease cases. We developed and manufactured for the US company ProventionBio the clinical trial material of PRV-101. ProventionBio has reported positive results from the final analysis of its first-in-human PROVENT study of PRV-101.

A successful vaccine against Hib

Haemophilus influenzae Type B, or Hib, is a bacterium that can cause life-threatening infections, especially in infants and children. In 2000, the WHO estimated that Hib was responsible for 8.13 million cases of serious illness and over 370,000 deaths worldwide. Intavacc and Changchun BCHT Biotechnology Co (BCHT) entered into a collaboration to develop a Hib conjugate vaccine, consisting of a Hib polysaccharide (PRP) coupled to tetanus toxoid, within the People’s Republic of China. In the partnership, BCHT obtained Intravacc’s unique Hib conjugate technology to further develop, produce, and sell the vaccine. Intravacc also works with the Serum Institute India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, to make its WHO-prequalified Hib vaccine available to millions of children.

Advanced vaccine for shigellosis

The ingestion of Shigella flexneri 2a causes shigellosis, a disease associated with diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Roughly 250 million cases of shigellosis occur annually in low- and middle-income countries.

Intravacc collaborated with the Institut Pasteur Paris in an EU funded project (Stopenterics, European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, FP7/2007-2013) to develop a GMP-grade scalable production process to manufacture vaccine material for a phase I clinical trial to test a conjugate vaccine candidate. The phase I clinical trial was successful and two ongoing Phase II studies, consisting of an age-deescalating study in Kenya and a Controlled Human Infection Model in the USA, are ongoing.

New hope for ALS patients

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, progressive, and fatal neurodegenerative disease that results in the loss of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Currently, patients die 3-5 years after diagnosis, and treatments are limited. Roughly 5-10% of ALS patients of European descent carry a mutation called C9orf72 that causes the aggregation of neurotoxic repeat proteins. Intravacc is working with the German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in an EU-funded project called GA-VAX to develop a preventive and therapeutic vaccine for this subtype of ALS. The vaccine candidate stimulates an immune response against the neurotoxic proteins and has shown benefits in preventing and treating neurodegeneration in a mouse model. The candidate is being developed for a First-in-Human phase I/II clinical study.

An immunotherapy for solid tumors

The Dutch company CimCure has identified protein targets in tumor vasculature that can be leveraged to destroy endothelial cells, cutting off blood supply to cancer cells and thus, preventing tumor growth. The company conceptualized a vaccine consisting of the target protein conjugated to a proprietary engineered bacterial sequence. When administered, the vaccine induces high levels of antibodies against the target protein which triggers an immune response against tumor blood vessels. The vaccine has shown proof of concept in colon cancer, melanoma, and glioblastoma. Intravacc has in-licensed CimCure’s technology. This agreement grants Intravacc technology access to develop new vaccines and provide CDMO services involving the in-licensed technique. It also expands Intravacc’s translational expertise into cancer vaccines.