In January 2024 Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) announced that it is awarding US$633k to Intravacc for the development of a vaccine that prevents Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections. Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes gonorrhoea, the second-most reported bacterial STI.
WHO reports that in 2020 there were an estimated 82 million adult infections. When left untreated, gonorrhoea can cause severe complications such as ectopic pregnancy or infertility and can lead to an increased risk of contracting HIV. People with gonorrhoea do not always notice symptoms, which means that reported cases only scratch the surface. In newborns, untreated gonococcal conjunctivitis can lead to blindness.
Developing a powerful tool
Dr Erin Duffy, R&D Chief at CARB-X, reflected that “drug-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae have evaded all but one existing antibiotic”.
“Vaccines are powerful tools in the prevention of bacterial infections. With an appropriate vaccination strategy, Intravacc’s vaccine project, if successful, could prevent the disease, and significantly curb the spread of resistant bacteria across the globe.”
OMV vaccine
Intravacc’s meningococcal outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccine carries “several important” gonococcal antigens intended to prevent infection. Dr Jan Groen, CEO of Intravacc, hopes that the project will combine “our science and OMV expertise” in pursuit of an effective vaccine.
“We believe the outcome of this vaccine project could be an important contribution to the antimicrobial resistance epidemic.”
CARB-X takes on the drug-resistant challenge
CARB-X is developing a pipeline of “high-value products to prevent, diagnose, and treat bacterial infections that have become resistant to antibiotics”. Drug-resistant bacterial infections killed an estimated 1.27 million people in 2019.
“CARB-X emphasises performance characteristics that patients need against infections driving the greatest global morbidity and mortality.”
Since its establishment in 2016, CARB-X has supported 93 R&D projects in 12 countries, making “tremendous progress”. In 2022 new funding rounds were launched to support R&D projects and fill “critical gaps in the antibacterial pipeline”. Intravacc’s vaccine is the second project to receive a grant in the 2022-2023 funding call.
For an opportunity to connect with senior representatives of Intravacc this year, why not join us at the Congress in Washington this April? If you can’t make it, do subscribe for more funding updates.
