Tiba Biotech announces the funding of an mRNA-based universal influenza vaccine project with support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and its Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVIC) initiative. This moves forward Tiba’s earlier universal influenza collaboration with Prof. Florian Krammer of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
This novel approach to universal influenza vaccination employs engineered hemagglutinin (HA) antigens administered in a prime/boost regimen in order to drive immunity against highly conserved but immunologically subdominant epitopes. Targeting these conserved regions can confer immunity across a broad selection of influenza strains. Prof. Krammer and his team have demonstrated early clinical promise, and Tiba will accelerate development of his laboratory’s technology by adapting the relevant antigens that compose the vaccine formula to the RNA platform to improve manufacturability and speed of deployment.
Despite over half a century of research, influenza still accounts for thousands of deaths annually and conventional vaccines struggle to keep up with seasonal strains, explained Dr. Jasdave Chahal. Combining novel approaches like Prof. Krammer’s with cutting edge RNA delivery technology could potentially revolutionize the way we approach flu prevention.
The universal influenza project is in parallel with an existing NIH-funded SBIR for a multi-antigen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, Focused on a different highly infectious disease, with $51 million in initial funding, the CIVIC program is a network of leading research centers in the US that work together in a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort to advance influenza vaccine science. The overarching goals of this program include:
• Supporting improvements in the immunogenicity and durability of seasonal influenza vaccines
• Developing innovative influenza vaccine approaches that provide robust, durable, broadly protective mucosal and systemic anti-influenza immunity
• Conducting iterative vaccine design based on detailed immunologic assessment of influenza vaccine candidates through preclinical studies
• Advancing the most promising vaccine candidates into Phase I and II clinical trials
For more information on CIVIC visit www.niaidcivics.org. And for the team’s earlier published work on influenza, see Dendrimer-RNA nanoparticles generate protective immunity against lethal Ebola, H1N1 influenza, and Toxoplasma gondii challenges with a single dose.
