Under the agreement, 3M will donate its patented toll-like receptor (TLR) immune response modifier compounds. 3M’s patented TLR immune response modifier compounds, which may be useful as vaccine adjuvants, will be used by the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) to research new vaccines. Vaccine adjuvants are known to help boost the effectiveness of a vaccine.
According to 3M, TLR compounds, also called TLR7 and TLR8 agonists, are small organically synthesized molecules that offer flexibility in formulating and route of delivery, and ease in manufacturing, unlike most other TLR agonists, which are much larger and not as easy to manufacture.
Mark Tomai, head of drug discovery and pre-clinical development at 3M Drug Delivery Systems, said: “IDRI’s vaccine platform has the potential to prevent and treat a number of important diseases in the developing world. By providing our vaccine adjuvant compounds to their vaccines, we are providing a cost-effective way for IDRI to conduct vaccine research.”