CEPI to help NEC Corporation develop broad protection betacoronavirus vaccine with $4.8M

Japan’s NEC Corporation gained seed funding of up to $4.8 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) this week to help its Norway-based subsidiary with the initial development of broadly protective betacoronavirus vaccine candidates.

NEC OncoImmunity AS (NOI) specializes in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology, which will be used to develop these vaccines. This effort will be at the head of a research consortium that includes the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) and Oslo University Hospital, all of which aim to deliver preclinical proof of concept for a more broadly-ranged vaccine based on mRNA technology. AI’s role will be to identify novel vaccine antigens with broad reactivity against betacoronaviruses, which will then be selected iteratively and validated in preclinical studies.

Such vaccines could have immediate and future use against epidemic-capable diseases such as SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, or an unknown, at-yet-to-emerge pandemic-capable pathogen dubbed Disease X.

“Coronaviruses have now proven their pandemic potential with devastating consequences, and COVID-19 won’t be the last coronavirus to threaten humanity,” Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said. He added, “I am delighted that CEPI will partner with NEC Corporation – our first collaboration with Japanese industry – to advance this innovative, AI-driven approach to vaccine design, which could help take the threat of coronaviruses off the table if it is proven to be successful.”

For CEPI, the development effort – and the funding it provided – is another prong in its $200 million umbrella of efforts to advance the development of vaccines with broad protections against SARS-CoV-2, its variants, and other betacoronaviruses. For NEC, it is a chance to showcase a unique approach to identifying and selecting antigens with a broader response and protective capabilities for longer periods.

“Dealing with the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a significant toll on people’s lives,” Nobuhiro Endo, chairman of NEC Corporation’s Board, said. “The hard lessons will remain with us for decades, and it is crucial that we arm ourselves against future invisible enemies. We are elated to partner with CEPI on this mission to develop vaccines against coronaviruses using our advanced AI technologies.”

Under the terms of their arrangement, NEC will provide equitable access to the outputs of its project, in line with CEPI’s goals of equitable vaccine access worldwide, particularly from those items it has funded.