December 18, 2020 -- Enesi Pharma is collaborating with Robin Shattock, PhD, a leading infectious disease and vaccine expert, and his group at Imperial College London to develop RNA vaccines -- including those against SARS-CoV-2 -- that are stable at ambient temperatures and up to 40˚ C (104˚ F).
Such vaccines could minimize or eliminate the cold-chain requirements for global deployment and mass vaccination programs, the two said in a press release. The collaboration will combine Enesi's ImplaVax technology for the creation of thermostable, solid dose vaccines with RNA vaccines based on Imperial's self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) technology. The collaboration will also use Polyplex DNA/RNA stabilization technologies.
ImplaVax technology allows for the creation of solid-dose vaccines of a fixed dose that are designed to be delivered into the dermal layer of the skin using a needle-free device and with minimal administrator training.
Based on the results of a successful early collaboration, Enesi and Imperial are entering a new phase to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of RNA vaccines using saRNA, Polyplex, and ImplaVax technologies.
If the collaboration is successful, it could lead to a further partnership to develop an ImplaVax version of Imperial's RNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, which is based on the virus' spike protein and is being investigated in a phase I/II trial in over 400 healthy subjects.
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