Soligenix, Inc. announced that its ongoing collaboration with the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UHM) and Hawaii Biotech Inc. (HBI) has resulted in a significant milestone in the development of heat stable filovirus vaccines, in which the platform has demonstrated feasible thermostable formulations and protection in non-human primate models with both monovalent and bivalent vaccine candidates in the three most deadly human pathogenic filoviruses (Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Marburg virus).
“Filoviruses are endemic in areas of the world where the power supply can be uncertain, making a thermostable vaccine particularly valuable,” stated Dr. Lehrer, Assistant Professor, Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology at the JABSOM. “Our work to date has demonstrated not only the feasibility of rapid and efficient manufacturing, but also the potential for a broadly applicable and easily distributed vaccine. With Marburg virus continuing to be an unmet medical need of priority to the US government, we are now focusing and accelerating evaluations of the Marburg virus vaccine specifically.”
Under the Company’s Public Health Solutions business segment, ongoing collaborations with Axel Lehrer, PhD of the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), UHM and HBI have demonstrated the feasibility of developing heat stable subunit protein vaccines for filovirus. Protective efficacy has been demonstrated in non-human primates against infection with Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus. Protection has been achieved with both monovalent and bivalent vaccine combinations. Formulation conditions have been identified to enable heat stabilization of each antigen, alone or in combination, for at least 12 weeks at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Soligenix and its collaborators are now focusing specifically on accelerating development of a Marburg virus (MARV) vaccine.
