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NEWS

Vaxdyn’s new vaccine against Gram-negative pathogens, if approved, would help curb the rising threat of drug resistant bacteria

7 July 2020

(BOSTON) – CARB-X is awarding Vaxdyn, based in Seville, Spain, up to US$892,000, plus an additional $6.36 million if certain project milestones are met, to develop a new vaccine to prevent life-threatening drug-resistant infections, including pneumonia. Vaxdyn is the first Spanish biotech to be funded by CARB-X, a non-profit partnership investing $500 million in the development of innovative vaccines, antibiotics and rapid diagnostics to fight drug-resistant bacteria around the world.

“The threat of drug-resistance underscores the importance of vaccines as powerful weapons to prevent disease as well as the spread of deadly bacteria,” said Erin Duffy, Chief of Research and Development of CARB-X, which is based at Boston University School of Law. “The Vaxdyn project is in the early phases of development, but if successful and approved for use in patients, it could prevent drug-resistant pneumonia in patients with elevated risk, for example those with chronic lung disease or diabetes, or patients undergoing cancer treatment. This vaccine would also have the potential to prevent infections in newborns by stimulating maternal immunity in pregnant women, an issue of critical importance particularly in low-to-middle income countries around the world.”

Vaxdyn is using its proprietary technology to develop multi-antigen vaccines based on detoxified bacterial cells that present key antigens in their native conformation. KapaVax, the Vaxdyn project funded by CARB-X, is under development as a prophylactic vaccine for the prevention of infections caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens including Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in multiple at-risk populations. These three bacterial pathogens are deemed serious public health threats. Vaxdyn is working with its key partners, the National Center of Microbiology of the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III and Laboratorios Reig Jofré.

Vaxdyn’s CEO, Juan J. Infante, said: “In this project, we are determined to develop a vaccine that will prevent life-threatening infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria, providing safe and effective immunity to patients at risk and populations around the world.”

Full PR available here.