EV D68 is a respiratory virus that can cause acute flaccid myelitis, a type of childhood paralysis. The company will develop an inactivated EV D68 vaccine, based on its proprietary Vero cell technology, from early product selection through phase I clinical testing.

The Vero cell production platform has been applied for successful production of inactivated poliovirus vaccines, a live attenuated RSV vaccine, and several multivalent vaccines currently under development. The platform is considered safe for the manufacture of human vaccines.

There are currently no effective vaccines or antivirals available and it is anticipated that the virus may cause larger outbreaks in the future. The inactivated EV D68 vaccine developed as part of the contract will undergo first-in-human testing, including virus rescue, assay and process development, preclinical and toxicology studies, and production of clinical trial material.