In January 2024 Vaxxinity announced that it is collaborating with the University of Florida’s (UF) Centre for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CTRND) to support efforts on the development of vaccines for neurodegenerative diseases. With a grant from the state of Florida to fund their work, the teams hope to further the development of Vaxxinity’s active immunotherapies to “prevent and mitigate” neurodegenerative diseases. This project has the potential to offer an “affordable and accessible” therapeutic option.
The researchers at UF will conduct preclinical studies to investigate the effects of Vaxxinity’s candidates for neurodegenerative disease on “relevant biological targets” like beta-amyloid, tau, and alpha-synuclein. These will be carried out through various in vitro and in vivo studies, including models of disease and antibody-target binding assays. The project is to complement Vaxxinity’s preclinical work, which has demonstrated immunogenicity, target engagement, and efficacy in animal models of several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Vaxxinity has developed a platform that is designed to “harness and selectively activate the immune system by overcoming immune tolerance, stimulating the production of antibodies against endogenous targets”. Vaxxinity is to provide materials to support the research, including candidates derived from its platform and antibodies generated by active immunotherapy treatment.
Tackling big challenges
Mei Mei Hu, CEO of Vaxxinity, commented that the collaboration “will support the continued development of vaccines for neurodegenerative diseases affecting millions of people worldwide”.
“Our work with UF will drive a deeper understanding of how to neutralise toxic proteins in the brain implicated in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This work builds upon years of research on our synthetic peptide technology platform to target endogenous proteins and can help us to develop better candidates for neurodegenerative diseases in the future.”
Hu is “not afraid to tackle the biggest challenges in science” and believes that the collaboration is an “important way” of “advancing our vision to provide cheaper, safer, more convenient, and effective medicines for chronic disease to all”.
Dr Matthew J. LaVoie is director of UF’s CTRND, which is “committed to advancing biomedical research that can make a significant impact on human health”.
“Our focus on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease is expanding to include vaccine candidates, and we believe this partnership will drive scientific progress and create exciting and impactful new opportunities for our faculty and students.”
Dr LaVoie is “grateful” for the state of Florida’s “commitment to advancing medical science for our ageing population”.
We were glad to speak to Vaxxinity’s CEO, Mei Mei Hu, during our Congress in April last year. If you are interested in joining us this year, don’t forget to get your tickets here or subscribe for more insights!
