The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded Tiba Biotech a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to develop a multi-antigen RNA-based vaccine against the highly pathogenic H7N9 strain of influenza virus. This is in response to the National Institutes of Health’s recent Notice of Special Interest for the advance of nucleic acid-based vaccines that protect against pandemic influenza threats.
The grant stems from the team’s earlier published work at the Massachusetts of Technology and the Whitehead Institute to develop an RNA-based, rapid-response vaccine against pandemic influenza strains. The focus of this new initiative will be on highly pathogenic avian influenza strains that continue to show persistent zoonotic capacity across the globe. Tiba will advance a multi-antigen vaccine approach, demonstrated in its ongoing COVID-19 program with University of Pennsylvania colleagues. This novel Phase I work plan uses optimized ratios of the virion proteins – namely HA, NA, M1, and NP – to increase immunogenicity and durability of the vaccine candidate.
Tiba’s technology overcomes the limitations of LNPs, representing a critical step in the evolution of the already revolutionary field of mRNA vaccines.
— Prof. William Klimstra, University of Pennsylvania
The potential of mRNA medicines has come to the forefront with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But challenges remain. “Current lipid nanoparticle delivery platforms struggle with dose-limiting side effects that will likely hinder the efficient deployment of multiple large alphaviral replicase-based RNAs for future vaccine applications,” explained Dr. William Klimstra, Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and member of the university’s Center for Vaccine Research, who is involved in Tiba’s COVID-19 vaccine program. “Tiba’s technology overcomes the limitations of LNPs representing a critical step in the evolution of the already revolutionary field of mRNA vaccines.”
For more on the COVID-19 multi-antigen project, see Tiba secures NIAID grant for an RNA-based multi-antigen vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. And for the team’s earlier work on pandemic influenza, see Dendrimer-RNA nanoparticles generate protective immunity against lethal Ebola, H1N1 influenza, and Toxoplasma gondii challenges with a single dose. The grant supports early pre-clinical work through to the fourth quarter of 2022, after which the company plans to apply for a Phase II SBIR with university collaborators and industry partners.
