Intravacc Awarded CARB-X Funding to Develop Vaccine That Prevents Gonorrhea Infections

Intravacc recently announced it has been awarded a funding that may total $633K from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) a global non-profit organization, for the development of a preventive vaccine against Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). This vaccine will be developed on Intravacc’s proprietary outer membrane vesicle (OMV) platform technology.

The Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium causes gonorrhea, the second most reported bacterial STI. Approximately 82 million people were infected globally in 2020. Patients with gonorrhea can face serious health effects, including pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pain, infertility, and an increased risk of contracting HIV. If left untreated, gonorrhea can spread to the bloodstream, which can be fatal. Because patients do not always exhibit symptoms, reported cases may only capture a fraction of the true burden.

Erin Duffy, PhD, R&D Chief of CARB-X, said “Resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae have evaded all but one existing antibiotic (ceftriaxone), Vaccines are powerful tools in the prevention of bacterial infections. With an appropriate vaccination strategy, Intravacc’s vaccine project, if successful, could prevent the disease, and significantly curb the spread of resistant bacteria across the globe.”

The CARB-X award supports the development of Intravacc’s meningococcal outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccine that carries several important gonococcal antigens aimed to prevent infections by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococci). Through the tailored gonococcal antigens on the surface of the meningococcal OMV, Intravacc anticipates a significant enhancement in the vaccine candidate’s efficacy against gonorrhea.

Dr. Jan Groen, Intravacc’s CEO, added “This CARB-X project allows us to combine our science and OMV expertise for the development of a vaccine against gonorrhea infections. We believe the outcome of this vaccine project could be an important contribution to the worldwide antimicrobial resistance epidemic.”

CARB-X funding for this research is supported by federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under Agreement number: 75A50122C00028, and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the UK Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) funded by the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of any CARB-X funders.

For the development of vaccines, Intravacc has designed and developed a platform based on outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) – spherical particles with intrinsic immune-stimulating properties. The OMVs can be designed with immunogenic peptides and/or proteins that stimulate effective adaptive immunity. The OMV carrier has been optimized to induce a more effective immune response against these newly introduced antigens. Intravacc has also developed genetic tools to increase the yield of the OMVs, reduce the toxicity and achieve the desired antigenic composition. Intravacc’s OMV platform is scalable and allows rapid and efficient modification of the antigen composition, either through genetic modification of the bacterial host or by associating antigens with stored OMVs.

Intravacc, located at Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven in the Netherlands, is a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for infectious diseases and therapeutic vaccines. As an established independent CDMO with many years of experience in the development and optimization of vaccines and vaccine technologies, Intravacc has transferred its technology world-wide for many vaccines including polio, measles, DPT, Hib and influenza. Approximately 30% of childhood disease vaccines are based on Intravacc’s know-how and proprietary technology. Intravacc offers a wide range of expertise for independent vaccine development, from concept to Phase I/II clinical studies for partners around the world, including biotech and pharmaceutical companies, governmental agencies and NGOs. With its innovative vaccine platforms OMV-VaccT, Cell-VaccT, Con-VaccT, E.co-VaccT and good manufacturing procedures (GMP) facilities the company is well positioned to address the unmet needs in the vaccine and immune therapy market.

CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X supports innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. CARB-X funds only projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO, with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list. For more information, visit https://carb-x.org/.