VBI-2901 is a trivalent vaccine candidate that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome; SARS), and MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome; MERS) spike proteins, while VBI-2902 is a monovalent vaccine candidate that expresses only the SARS-CoV-2 protein. The company said that both candidates have the potential to be one-dose vaccines.

In preclinical data from mouse studies, the company's enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) platform demonstrated 10 times higher antibody minding geometric mean titer (GMT) and four times higher neutralizing antibody GMT than high-titer convalescent sera, according to VBI. A second dose increased neutralizing antibody GMT to 64 times convalescent sera, the firm said.

VBI said that good manufacturing practices clinical manufacturing of the vaccine candidates is expected to begin in September at Therapure Biomanufacturing.

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