Technology
Microneedle technology wins Gates grants of $6.6 million
The University of Connecticut (UConn) announced in October 2024 that associate Professor Thanh Nguyen’s research has received “significant”
UK begins Phase III trial of mRNA norovirus vaccine
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced in October 2024 that the first Phase III randomised trial of an investigational
The Vaccine Group and APHA secure animal vaccine grant
In October 2024 the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and The Vaccine Group (TVG) announced that Innovate UK has awarded them a Smart
Valneva and LimmaTech secure Shigella vaccine fast track
Valneva and LimmaTech Biologics announced in October 2024 that they have been granted Fast Track designation by the United States FDA for Shigella4V
CEPI and NRC work on safe protein antigens, faster
CEPI announced in October 2024 that it is working with experts at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to bioengineer a “commonly
NeoDisc pipeline enables personalised cancer immunotherapy
A paper in Nature Biotechnology in October 2024 presents an “end-to-end clinical proteogenomic pipeline” to address the challenges associated with identification and prioritisation of antigenic peptides. NeoDisc combines “state-of-the-art publicly available and...
Panthera joins Parexel’s Site Alliance Vaccine Network
In October 2024, Panthera Biopartners announced that Parexel has confirmed its inclusion in the Parexel Site Alliance Vaccine Network. Panthera becomes the first UK public or commercial clinical trial organisation to join the global network of high performing clinical...
SK bioscience announces $3 million investment in FinaBio
SK bioscience announced in October 2024 that it has signed an agreement to acquire a stake in Fina Biosolutions (FinaBio) with a $3 million investment. SK bioscience becomes FinaBio’s first and sole strategic investor with a goal of improving the immunogenicity and...
CEPI and CIDRAP advance coronavirus vaccine R&D roadmap
CEPI announced in October 2024 that the Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota is to receive US$3.2 million to advance its open access Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap. This is an...
NIH funding for Orlance Enhanced Seasonal Influenza Vaccine
Orlance, Inc., announced in October 2024 that it has been awarded a National Institutions of Health (NIH) Fast Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop an Enhanced Seasonal Influenza Vaccine that provides “better protection against disease”...
CEPI funding for University of Sheffield’s RNAbox process
In October 2024, CEPI announced that it is awarding funding of up to £3.7 million to support researchers at the University of Sheffield as they seek proof-of-concept for RNAbox. RNAbox is a specialised process designed to scale up the production of mRNA vaccines at...
WHO confirms HPV vaccine Cecolin for single-dose schedule
In October 2024, WHO announced that a fourth WHO-prequalified human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine product, Cecolin, has been confirmed for use in a single-dose schedule. This update is an “important milestone” that will contribute to “improving sustainable supply of...
Vaxart initiates sentinel cohort for Phase IIb study
In September 2024, Vaxart announced the initiation of the sentinel cohort of its Phase IIb clinical trial evaluating the oral pill COVID-19 vaccine candidate in comparison with an approved mRNA vaccine. The funding is now approved for this part comprising 400...
SK bioscience completes IDT Biologika acquisition
In October 2024, SK bioscience announced the successful completion of its acquisition of a controlling stake in IDT Biologika. This follows the announcement in June 2024 that SK bioscience intended to acquire 60% of IDT Biologika’s shares from the Klocke Group to...
Vaccine delivery vehicle to improve access in Samoa
UNICEF announced in September 2024 that it is working with Australia and Samoa to improve access to vaccinations in Samoa. To this end, an innovative new vaccine delivery vehicle was delivered, alongside waste management supplies such as bins and masks. These supplies...
MSD Animal Health expands NOBIVAC NXT platform for cats
MSD Animal Health announced in September 2024 that it is expanding the newly USDA-approved NOBIVAC NXT vaccine platform to include a best-in-class solution to protect cats against a common feline infectious disease, feline leukaemia virus (FeLV). Describing this...
Evaxion launches enhanced AI-Immunology platform
Evaxion Biotech announced the launch of an enhanced version of its clinically validated AI-Immunology platform in September 2024, with an update to the EDEN AI prediction model. Improvements to the model include toxin antigen prediction, which enables the development...
Next-gen vaccines: Vicebio announces financing and study
Vicebio announced $100 million Series B financing and the initiation of a Phase I clinical study of RSV/hMPV bivalent vaccine in September 2024. The financing is led by TCGX with investment from Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Avoro Ventures, and venBio, with...
Self-administered FluMist secures FDA approval
In September 2024 the United States FDA announced the approval of FluMist for self- or caregiver-administration. It is approved for active immunisation for the prevention of influenza disease caused by subtypes A and B in individuals aged 2 to 49. FluMist is...
Study pits recombinant DNA against IVT mRNA technologies
An article in Scientific Reports in September 2024 uses Digital Shadows to facilitate a comparison of recombinant DNA and in vitro (IVT) mRNA vaccine manufacturing technologies. The authors offer an assessment of which manufacturing platform is better suited for two...
