Mabion to licence COVID-19 jab from Vaxine Pty Ltd

Currently, the Australian influenza vaccine and adjuvant specialist and the Polish protein drug maker have just inked a memorandum of understanding, so the terms of a future contract remain to be defined. However, the technology behind is interesting.

The partners intent to utilize an insect cell-based recombinant spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in combination with Vaxine’s proprietary Advax adjuvant and have already started Phase I testing in Australia with first result expected later this month. The company announced it will use artificial intelligence to evalutate clinical data in real time and announced the ambition to complete Phase II and III trials at the end of this year. "Supported by Microsoft technology, we aim to collect and analyse the COVAX-19 trial data in real time, rather than waiting until the end of the trial before seeing if the vaccine is working, which is the traditional process," said Vaxine’s Research Director Professor Nikolai Petrovsky from Flinders University in Adelaide.

Preclinically, Vaxine Pty Ltd’s syntetic spike protein with the company’s non-inflammatory Advax adjuvant, induced antibody and T-cell immune responses against the co-administered antigen. In various animal models, Covax-19 vaccination provided robust protection against an infection with the novel coronavirus. 

The Phase I of Vaxine Pty Ltd in running since July in 40 healthy volunteers. If results are positive, the Australian vaccine maker is to expand studies and manufacturing to Europe. Under a future agreement Mabion SA would lead clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory negotiations and could exclusively market the vaccine in the EU and – optionally – in the US.