SBRI Contract Awarded to Develop Novel Thermally Stable mRNA Hantaan Vaccine.
Dr. Aswin Doekhie, CTO, working in our laboratory in Bristol, UK.
Bristol, UK, January 23rd 2024: EnsiliTech is proud to announce that it has been awarded a highly competitive research contract from the UK Government's Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) for the development of the world's first thermally stable mRNA vaccine.
The ground-breaking project entitled ‘Heat proofing Immunity: Pioneering a Thermally Resilient Ensilicated mRNA-LNP Vaccine Platform’ is part of a wider call to develop vaccines and tools to fight the next pandemic. This vital work will be carried out alongside two partners, Afrigen Biologics (Cape Town, South Africa), the Centre of the WHO/MPP mRNA technology transfer programme developing and transferring mRNA technology to 15 manufacturing partners in LMICs, and EmerVax (Houston, USA), which specialises in the formulation of novel vaccines against neglected diseases. Ensilitech will also partner with S-cubed Ltd, who will provide expert Regulatory Affairs Consultancy support.
Dr. Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech said: “Our mission is to democratise access to vaccines across the globe by developing the first fully thermally-stable mRNA vaccine. We are grateful to the SBRI and Innovate UK for being awarded this funding, which will help in bringing vaccines where they are needed”. With a value of ~£1.7M/$2.1M the project will focus on the development of the world's first vaccine against Hantaan Virus (HTNV). HTNV is responsible for Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), a serious illness with a mortality rate of ~15%. Over 200,00 cases occur each year mainly in Asia and South America [CDC], where the incidence is growing.
This research is funded as a UK Aid programme to develop vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) by the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the UK Vaccine Network (UKVN). Prof. Petro Terblanche, CEO of Afrigen, stated “Afrigen is excited to be part of this initiative. One of Afrigen’s priorities is to make the latest biological products, such as mRNA vaccines, accessible and affordable to low-middle income countries (LMICs) and the potential to eliminate or reduce the need for cold chain logistics through ensilication technology will significantly contribute towards this goal”.
Dr. Peter D. Weinstein, CEO of Emervax, stated “Emervax is enthusiastic about its ability to participate in this important effort with EnsiliTech and Afrigen, where Emervax will apply its novel mRNA vaccine platform technology to develop a first of its kind HTNV mRNA vaccine that will be used to help protect people throughout the world, regardless of their income, who could be exposed and suffer from this terrible and debilitating disease”. The project will have two key benefits: the prevention of thousands of cases annually of HFRS and associated deaths, and the development of a heat tolerant mRNA vaccine platform using EnsiliTech’s proprietary technology.
As demonstrated during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines have a huge potential for the prevention of infectious diseases, as well as some cancers and other previously unpreventable conditions. Currently these vaccines require ultracold storage at -70 - -80 °C. EnsiliTech’s ensilicated mRNA platform removes the need for cold storage and has the potential to revolutionize vaccine distribution, particularly in remote or resource-limited regions where maintaining cold chain storage can be challenging. EnsiliTech’s pioneering work in this field will contribute to advancing global health and improving accessibility to life-saving vaccines.
Stay tuned for updates on this groundbreaking project as EnsiliTech continues to push the boundaries of vaccine technology!
About EnsiliTech:
EnsiliTech is a Bristol-based startup, which spun out from the University of Bath in July 2022. In January 2023, EnsiliTech had finalised a first, oversubscribed, pre-seed investment round of £1.2M/$1.5M. This consisted of an Innovate UK grant and private investment from Science Angels Syndicate, Fink Family Office, QantX, and angels.
About Afrigen:
Afrigen Biologics is a Cape Town-based biotechnology company supported and capitalized by Avacare Healthcare Group and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa. Afrigen is being supported by the WHO and MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Programme to operate as the centre for mRNA vaccine technology development and transfer. Afrigen through international partnerships and local capacity building has established the first-ever vaccine adjuvant production and formulation technology centre on the African continent. Afrigen has in the last 24 months established an end-to-end research, development and manufacturing facility for mRNA vaccine innovation and is developing mRNA vaccine candidates.
For more information on Afrigen, please visit https://www.afrigen.co.za/.
About EmerVax:
A spin out from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and the Galveston National Laboratory based in Galveston, Texas. Founded in 2021, EmerVax is developing vaccines against emerging viral infections with potential to cause epidemics or pandemics similar to COVID-19.
About S-cubed:
S-cubed is a consultancy company specialising in providing Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices industries. S-cubed’s Regulatory Affairs team has extensive regulatory expertise and detailed knowledge that encompasses the full development process and have worked with numerous companies to formulate regulatory strategies, for both new chemical and biological entities, as well as repurposed medicinal products, through to registration and beyond.
About the UK Vaccine Network:
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the UK Government department which is responsible for helping people to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. This investment is part of the UK Vaccine Network (UKVN). UKVN was established to provide funding to support the development of promising vaccines and vaccine technologies that will help combat infectious diseases that have epidemic potential in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). UKVN is an UK Aid investment, which means all projects funded must support research primarily and directly for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
About Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI):
SBRI supports research and development of solutions to public sector challenges. Any organisation of any size can apply for funding.
If you’d like to find out more about our technology, or explore partnership opportunities, contact hello@ensilitech.com
