Vaxart has been awarded a $2.8m phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIH) to support development of its first product, an orally-delivered vaccine for H5N1 Avian influenza.
The company said, Vaxart’s approach is its adjuvant, the vaccine component that enhances immune responses. Vaxart’s approach employs TLR3 to stimulate a potent immune response when the vaccine is given in a pill instead of being injected.
The second advantage of the Vaxart approach is the ability to use the same vector, or delivery vehicle, across all vaccines. Vaccinations using the same vehicle are less effective, as the body attacks the vehicle instead of the disease target. Vaxart has overcome this obstacle and has demonstrated strong immune responses against multiple targets following a series of oral vaccines, the company reported.
Sean Tucker, principal investigator, said: “We thank the NIH for funding the further safety and efficacy tests, which, along with our previous successful animal studies, will pave the way towards clinical trials.”
Vaxart’s developed approach to vaccine creation is likely to enable it to produce a portfolio of oral-delivery vaccines easily and quickly.