CARB-X could award up to $3.5 million, plus up to $18.5 million for successful development milestones, to Affinivax for a vaccine for Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infections, for which treatment options are currently limited.
No vaccine presently exists for S. aureus, despite the high threat it poses to high-risk and older patients, especially as multi-drug resistant strains begin to spread. Eventually, Affinivax hopes to advance its vaccine candidate toward an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and clinical studies. Development is being pursued through Affinivax’s Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) technology.
“Vaccines can prevent deadly infections and are powerful weapons against the growing spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” Erin Duffy, R&D Chief of CARB-X, said. “There have been significant scientific challenges with earlier approaches to bring a S. aureus vaccine forward to approval. The Affinivax approach, if successful, could potentially transform the way we protect ourselves against dangerous pathogens such as S. aureus.”
In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that S. aureus infections impacted more than 119,000 people and killed nearly 20,000. While most cases do not result in massive infection, their effects are staggering, from minor skin infections to pneumonia and sepsis. Accordingly, the Affinivax vaccine will utilize multiple staphylococcal protein antigens to produce a broad immune response.
“We very much appreciate the support of CARB-X and look forward to our partnership together as we advance this critically important vaccine towards clinical trials,” Steven Brugger, CEO of Affinivax, said. “As we face the significant global health challenges caused today by antimicrobial resistance, we believe our MAPS platform represents a significant step forward in vaccine technology and an opportunity to provide vaccines to protect the high-risk and older adult community from the impact from Staphylococcus aureus and other healthcare-associated infections.”
The award from CARB-X, a global nonprofit, will be subject to the availability of funds.