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PnuBioVax™: next-generation vaccine for a personalised and effective immune response against Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Project description

Next-generation vaccine against pneumococcal disease

Pneumococcal disease is responsible for over 200 000 deaths every year in Europe alone. Current vaccines are expensive, and developing countries cannot afford to offer the necessary protection to their citizens. At the same time, antibiotic resistance and Streptococcus pneumoniae adaptation further reduce pneumococcal vaccines’ efficacy. British Immunobiology Ltd. has developed a novel pneumococcal vaccine, PnuBioVax™, that offers protection against all pneumococcal strains and is safe to use. During the EU-funded PnuBioVax project, a feasibility study was conducted along with a full analysis of the technical and business potential of this new vaccine. Combined with its low manufacturing cost, PnuBioVax™ can become the vaccine of choice in developing countries, contributing to the global battle against pneumococcal disease.

Objective

Pneumococcal disease, caused by the pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, is a major cause of mortality in the young and elderly. In Europe, it is responsible for 230,000 annual deaths and an economic burden of € 10B annually. Due to the high cost of the current vaccines, rates of infant disease and death are even higher in developing countries, accounting for 1.6M deaths per year. The introduction of pneumococcal vaccines in Europe over the 20th century was pivotal in the reduction of pneumococcal pneumonia cases by 31%. Despite these good results, vaccine efficiency is now decreasing due to the adaptation of S. pneumoniae to the existing vaccines, but also due to its growing antibiotic resistance.

ImmunoBiology’s (ImmBio) platform technology has been used to create a pneumococcal vaccine called PnuBioVax™ (PBV) that aims to address the burden of the disease by offering protection against 100% of the pneumococcal strains. As a result of low manufacturing costs (<€ 1), PBV could become a game changer in the combat of the disease, facilitating its adoption in developing countries. The manufacturing cost of PBV represents a reduction of >95% compared to PCV13, the market leader, estimated at € 20. The vaccine has already been tested in humans, demonstrating its safety and effectiveness.

ImmBio is an innovative company, established in 1999 in the UK, which develops state-of-the-art vaccines using the ImmBioVax™ (IBV) vaccine platform technology. To date, ImmBio has raised circa € 10M in grants and awards. These funds, allowed the company to take the IBV technology from concept to clinical readiness products. The proposed work in Phase 1 of the SME instrument fits into their overall plan to reach the market by contributing to the financial resources needed to complete PBV’ clinical studies and ensure market uptake.

Call for proposal

H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Sub call

H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1

Coordinator

IMMUNOBIOLOGY LIMITED
Net EU contribution
€ 50 000,00
Address
BABRAHAM RESEARCH CAMPUS BUILDING 260
CB22 3AT CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost
€ 71 429,00