All-in-one vaccine development backed by $12.4m funding
Scientists at Denmark’s Adaptvac will lead the development of a new vaccine that could provide all-in-one protection against multiple deadly viruses, including Ebolavirus Zaire, Sudan Ebolavirus and Marburg.
Backed by $12.4 million of funding from CEPI and the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, a global consortium led by AdaptVac aims to design and test a new vaccine that could offer broad protection against several filoviruses.
The vaccine could be used to protect high risk populations, such as health workers, in areas where filovirus outbreaks are most prevalent – primarily in Central and East Africa.
Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said: “Filoviruses are amongst the world’s most deadly viruses. They have proven potential to cause catastrophic epidemics, and they are causing outbreaks with increasing frequency. An all-in-one filovirus vaccine could be a game-changer, protecting those most at risk from these pernicious viral threats and making the world a safer place when faced with a future filovirus Disease X.”
Preparedness for future pandemics
Researchers at the Institute for Drug Discovery at Leipzig will use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to design a range of immunogens that have the potential to protect against multiple filoviruses.
These immunogens will be added to AdaptVac’s virus-like-particle vaccine platform to create several different vaccine constructs which will be tested in preclinical studies.
The most promising vaccine candidate will progress into Phase I/II clinical trials in Gabon and the Netherlands.
Wian De Jongh, CEO of AdaptVac, said: “We are excited to work with CEPI and use our cVLP platform to accelerate preparedness efforts focused on filoviruses. This project builds on the significant support by the EU and Danish government for AdaptVac’s Covid-19 vaccine, as well as our ongoing Nipah virus vaccine development programme. Together with our collaborators and CEPI, we aim to develop a range of effective and durable vaccines against known viral threats to help prevent future epidemics and pandemics.”
While there are two licensed vaccines which protect against Ebolavirus Zaire, currently no approved vaccines exist for Sudan Ebolavirus, Marburg or Bundibugyo.
The project will also generate data about filovirus vaccines that will help to advance the 100 Days Mission, a goal spearheaded by CEPI which aims to develop new vaccines in as little as 100 days from viral identification.
Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, DDW