Vaxart Announces Additional Preclinical COVID-19 Oral Vaccine Data and Publication
January 26, 2021 at 08:30 am
Share
Vaxart, Inc. announced additional results from its SARS-CoV-2 Hamster Challenge Study, as well as a peer-reviewed publication in Nature Medicine resulting from a collaboration with prominent Stanford University scientists on COVID-19 vaccine candidates. New histology data from Vaxart’s SARS-CoV-2 Hamster Challenge Study showed that hamsters that received two doses of the oral tablet vaccine had a substantial reduction in lung inflammation as compared to unvaccinated hamsters. The company announced earlier results of its Hamster Challenge Study. These findings included: A 4- to 5-fold log reduction in lung viral load in hamsters that received two oral vaccine doses, as compared to non-vaccinated animals. Potent induction of antibody response, with serum IgG antibody titers above 10,000 in hamsters that received two oral vaccine doses. Oral vaccination protected as well as intranasal vaccination against intranasal challenge with respect to key indicators: protection from weight loss, protection from increase in lung weight, viral load reduction, and induction of serum IgG antibodies, demonstrating that mucosal protection by both routes of administration was comparable. The company expects to submit the Hamster Challenge Study results to a peer-reviewed journal this quarter. In early 2020, Vaxart established a collaboration with researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine to assess its COVID-19 vaccine candidates in human lymphoid organoid culture. The vaccine candidate that was selected for clinical trials was designed to express not only the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, but also the nucleocapsid (or N) protein. The N protein was included because it would generate specific anti-viral T-cell responses against a more conserved protein than the S protein, providing for potentially better cross-protection.
Vaxart, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is primarily focused on the development of oral recombinant vaccines based on its Vector-Adjuvant-Antigen Standardized Technology (VAAST) proprietary oral vaccine platform. Its vaccines are designed to be administered using pills that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. Its development programs include pill vaccines designed to protect against norovirus (cause for acute gastroenteritis), coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)), and influenza. In addition, it has generated preclinical data for its therapeutic vaccine candidate targeting cervical cancer and dysplasia caused by human papillomavirus. The Company's platform technology employs a vector-based approach and consists of various components, such as a vector (adenovirus type 5 (Ad5); an antigen (Ad5 DNA); an adjuvant (Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)), and its proprietary enteric-coated tablet.