The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted the co-founders of Adjuvance Technologies, Inc., a patent for a pioneering invention which provides a novel synthetic method to produce saponin adjuvants including QS-21, a leading vaccine adjuvant currently used in advanced clinical trials for infectious disease, neurodegenerative disorders and oncology.
Despite the critical ability of adjuvants to improve the immune response to vaccine antigens, there are very few adjuvants approved for human use in the U.S.
One of the most widely used and potent immunological adjuvants is a mixture of soluble triterpene glycosides purified from the soap bark tree (Quillaja saponaria). Despite challenges in production, quality control, stability and toxicity, this extract exhibits exceptional adjuvant properties for a range of antigens.
Adjuvance’s new patented technology providing an ecologically sustainable synthetic product of the active molecules of QS-21 that is extremely dependable and scalable. This ability provides a robust method to produce this leading vaccine adjuvant in high purity as well as to produce novel synthetic QS-21 congeners designed to induce increased immune responsiveness and decreased toxicity.
“We believe this technology, which was developed at the Sloan-Kettering Institute of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, represents a fundamental breakthrough in vaccine adjuvant design and manufacturing,” said Jeffrey Gardner, Adjuvance Technologies‘ CEO and co-founder. “Before this innovative approach to producing saponin adjuvants, tedious isolation and purification protocols were necessary to obtain these materials. This work will greatly facilitate access to these promising molecules for investigators and vaccine developers.”
As exclusive licensee of the technology, Adjuvance will continue to focus on the commercial development of saponin adjuvants for use in innovative therapeutic and prophylactic human vaccines as well as pandemic preparedness and biodefense efforts.
