Seeking broader protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants and other betacoronaviruses, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced this week that it would invest up to $4.5 million into development of a vaccine candidate based on Affinivax, Inc.’s Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS).
SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, has evolved several variants since the beginning of the pandemic, some more dangerous than others. Using its novel system, Affinivax intends to push for vaccines protective against a broad array of betacoronaviruses and other pathogens of concern to CEPI. With the new funding, it will proceed with candidate design and selection, manufacturing process development and preclinical testing against specific SARS-CoV-2 variants, with the end goal of creating a preclinical proof of concept for a novel vaccine candidate designed to fight new COVID-19 variants.
In keeping with CEPI’s own purposes, it will also have to be suitable for use in low and middle-income countries. Under the terms of their agreement, Affinivax will proceed in line with CEPI’s Equitable Access Policy and grant equitable access to any resulting vaccines.
“The emergence of the Omicron variant is a stark reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and that we must prepare to live alongside the virus for the long term,” Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said. “Through our partnership with Affinivax, we are taking the first steps towards developing a vaccine capable of tackling a broad range of variants, to help us stay one step ahead of the virus in the future. Developing variant-proof COVID-19 vaccines and enabling equitable access to them is vital for global health security.”
Already, the MAPS technology itself has produced a 24-valent pneumococcal vaccine candidate, which was deemed safe, well tolerated and capable of generating an antibody response to each of the 24 pneumococcal polysaccharides and the two conserved pneumococcal proteins in a Phase 2 clinical trial.
CEPI’s funding of the MAPS efforts mark its third grant issued under an ongoing call for proposals in the organization’s larger five year plan, which seeks to cut the future risk of pandemics and epidemics.
“We are honored to receive this prestigious grant and to enter into CEPI’s visionary program for accelerating the development of critical vaccines that are accessible to patients worldwide,” Stephen Brugger, CEO of Affinivax, said. “As is CEPI, we are convinced that new vaccine options, in addition to those currently approved or authorized, are needed to help the world control this challenging virus. Our MAPS technology platform represents a fundamentally different approach to vaccine development that allows us to combine multiple antigens into a single MAPS vaccine to potentially address the continued threat of emerging COVID-19 variants. Additionally, this grant will allow Affinivax the opportunity to explore the potential of our vaccine platform against other viruses and continue to support global health organizations in their efforts to target other viral pathogens and diversify their vaccination programs.”
CEPI indicated it may invest in the vaccine candidate further, based on data to come from this initial partnership.