Zika Breaking News

Replicate Bioscience, a clinical-stage company pioneering its novel self-replicating RNA (srRNA) technology to overcome the limitations of current mRNA modalities, today announced the dosing of the first participant in a Phase 1 trial of its RBI-4000 vaccine for the prevention of rabies.

The Phase 1 trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of RBI-4000 in 84 participants in the U.S.

In preclinical studies, intramuscular administration of RBI-4000 provided durable protection against the rabies virus, inducing antibody production and robust virus-specific T cells.

"Replicate's srRNA technology offers the potential for more robust and durable immune responses and improved tolerability at lower doses than existing mRNA approaches," commented Zelanna Goldberg, M.D., CMO of Replicate, in a press release on September 12, 2023.

"In infectious disease specifically, our srRNA technology unlocks opportunities to effectively address more complex infectious disease indications and allows us to rapidly develop vaccine candidates to treat or prevent illness — a crucial capability for future pandemic readiness."

According to the World Health Organization, Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease found in more than 150 countries and territories. Rabies vaccination can prevent infections before and after exposure to the rabies virus.

Various rabies vaccines are approved and available in 2023.

The only imported quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine approved for use in individuals aged three years and older has been listed in 26 provinces and municipalities in China.

Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced the launch of AdimFlu-S (QIS) in mainland China.

“The launch of AdimFlu-S in mainland China – our second commercialized product – strengthens Clover’s leading respiratory vaccine franchise and contributes to our financial sustainability and future growth,” said Joshua Liang, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Clover, in a press release on September 12, 2023.

AdimFlu-S (QIS) is a quadrivalent split inactivated vaccine that can be used to prevent influenza. It contains hemagglutinin from four influenza virus strains (two A and two B).

This quadrivalent improves its ability to achieve high vaccine effectiveness, regardless of which influenza B strain becomes seasonally prevalent, compared to trivalent flu shot options, says the company.

AdimFlu-S gained approval from the China National Medical Products Administration in January 2022.

As of September 2023, over 100 flu shot candidates are in development globally.

To support an innovative bladder cancer vaccine candidate, ImmunityBio, Inc. today announced that it has executed financing transactions resulting in approximately $200 million of proceeds to the Company.

This financing includes an exchange into equity of current debt and a new convertible debt instrument from Nant Capital, LLC, an entity affiliated with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the Company's Founder, Executive Chairman, and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer.

With this new financing from Dr. Soon-Shiong, confirmed on September 11, 2023, includes the extension of the maturity date of the current debt.

ImmunityBio stated in a press release that it 'believes that it is well-positioned to fund its ongoing business operations and pre-commercialization efforts as it continues to drive toward a potential regulatory approval of N-803 plus BCG for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.'

"Our Company, scientists, physicians, and Board are grateful to Dr. Soon-Shiong for his continued financial support of our Company and its important mission, as well as for his involvement in our day-to-day operations," commented Richard Adcock, Chief Executive Officer and President of ImmunityBio.

"With this additional financing, we are well positioned to execute our commercialization plans in anticipation of the approval of N-803 plus BCG in bladder cancer."

"This funding will also help support the planned expansion of our current clinical trials and the opening of new studies to explore the untapped potential of N-803 and our other platforms across multiple indications."

N-803 Plus BCG is a therapy to treat adults with non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer carcinoma in situ with or without Ta/T1 papillary disease. 

Its mechanism of action is direct specific stimulation of CD8+ T cells and NK cells through beta gamma T-cell receptor binding (not alpha) while avoiding T-reg stimulation.

The U.S. FDA is reviewing the Biologics License Application for N-803 plus BCG.

A Moderna Inc. funded study published on September 7, 2023, offered positive news ahead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on September 12, 2023, at 10 a.m. ET.

This non-peer-reviewed preprint study of the ongoing phase 2/3 study of Moderna's mRNA-1273.815 monovalent (50-µg omicron XBB.1.5 spike mRNA) or mRNA-1273.231 bivalent (25-µg omicron XBB.1.5 and 25-µg omicron BA.4/BA.5 spike mRNAs) vaccines, administered as 5th doses to adults.

In this interim analysis, XBB.1.5-containing monovalent and bivalent vaccines elicited potent neutralizing responses against variants of the omicron XBB-lineage (XBB.1.5, XBB.1.6, XBB.2.3.2, EG.5.1, and FL.1.5.1) as well as the recently emerged BA.2.86 variant, in about 50 study participants.

And the safety profile of the XBB.1.5-containing vaccine was consistent with those of prior vaccines.

According to these researchers, these results overall indicate that the XBB.1.5-containing mRNA-1273.815 vaccine has the potential to provide protection against these emerging variants and support the Covid-19 vaccine update in 2023-2024 to a monovalent XBB.1.5-containing vaccine.

This study was not powered for a statistical comparison of the immune responses between the vaccine groups or vaccine efficacy. The corresponding author is Spyros Chalkias, MD Moderna, [email protected].

Previously, Moderna announced that clinical trial data from a research assay confirmed its updated COVID-19 vaccine generated an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies in humans against BA.2.86 (Pirola).

Previously known as SpikeVax, this COVID-19 Vaccine is a Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine targeted against the SARS-CoV-2 betacoronavirus to prevent severe COVID-19. On December 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization.

While most people have heard of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, this diarrhea-causing virus also impacts people on land.

The U.S. CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on September 8, 2023, highlighted about 27 cases of acute gastroenteritis among hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022, suggesting a possible norovirus outbreak.

The CDC wrote preventing future outbreaks will require fostering increased awareness of handwashing and the lack of effectiveness of alcohol-based hand sanitizers against norovirus and more frequent cleaning of public facilities.

These hikers and others are eagerly awaiting news of a norovirus vaccine.

On September 6, 2023, Vaxart, Inc. announced top-line data from the Phase 2b challenge study of its oral tablet monovalent norovirus vaccine candidate, VXA-G1.1-NN.

Vaccination with VXA-G1.1-NN led to a statistically significant reduction in infection rate, a non-statistically significant reduction in norovirus acute gastroenteritis, and a substantial reduction in viral shedding.

The oral vaccine candidate was also safe and well tolerated with no vaccine-related serious adverse events.

Dr. James F. Cummings, Vaxart's Chief Medical Officer, commented in a press release, "The magnitude of the reduction in shedding could have an impact on transmission and may have important public health benefits, as norovirus spreads rapidly among people gathering in large numbers, including settings such as daycare centers, nursing homes, and workplaces, and may reduce the potential spread of the infection to families at home."

"The results of this study highlight the potentially distinctive profile of mucosal vaccination and the potential that our oral pill vaccines may have in protecting against infection and blocking transmission – potential benefits that have also been seen with our influenza vaccine," added Dr. Cummings.

Norovirus is the leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in all age groups in the U.S. On average, norovirus causes 19 to 21 million cases, infects 15% of all children under age 5, and leads to 465,000 emergency department visits, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 deaths, says the U.S. CDC.

As of September 9, 2023, norovirus vaccine candidate news is posted by Precision Vaccinations.

Malaria was eliminated as a public health threat in the United States in the mid-1950s, recent locally-acquired cases refreshed the awareness of this mosquito-transmitted disease.

The species of Anopheles mosquitoes biologically capable of transmitting malaria have been found throughout the U.S.

The U.S. CDC published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on September 8, 2023, confirming eight malaria cases were reported in Florida (seven) and Texas (one) from May 18–July 17, 2023.

As of August 2023, no additional autochthonous P. vivax cases have been detected in Florida or Texas, and there has been no evidence of infected Anopheles mosquitoes since early June. 

Although the risk for autochthonous malaria in the U.S. remains very low, U.S. clinicians need to consider a malaria diagnosis in patients with an unexplained fever, especially in areas where autochthonous malaria has been recently reported, wrote the CDC.

The recent cases underscore the potential for imported malaria cases from outbreak areas with competent vectors to produce local mosquito transmission of malaria parasites.

Before traveling internationally to areas where malaria is endemic, travelers should consult their healthcare provider regarding recommended malaria prevention measures, including potentially taking malaria prophylaxis.

Furthermore, malaria is preventable with vaccines available in Africa but not in the U.S.

Separately, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) called on Member States to maintain surveillance, early detection, and timely treatment of malaria cases in the Americas.

On September 7, 2023, the PAHO reported between 2022 and 2023, Argentina, Bahamas, and Jamaica reported sporadic cases of imported malaria and local transmission, including in areas where this disease had not previously been reported.

A team of researchers at MIT today announced they are working on making mRNA vaccines produce a more robust immune response at a lower dose.

Published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering on September 7, 2023, this study showed how MIT researchers delivered COVID-19 antigen and the antigen to boost the immune response without needing a separate adjuvant.

The researchers’ tests also showed that the vaccine induced a strong immune response when delivered intranasally compared to the response elicited by traditional intramuscular vaccination.

In mice, intramuscular or intranasal administration of nanoparticles with the lead ionizable lipid and with mRNA encoding for the fusion protein (either the spike protein or the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 increased the titres of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 tenfold with respect to the vaccine encoding for the unadjuvanted antigen.

“With intranasal vaccination, you might be able to kill Covid (SARS-CoV-2) at the mucus membrane before it gets into your body,” commented Daniel Anderson, a professor in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering and the senior author of the study in an MIT News article.

“Intranasal vaccines may also be easier to administer to many people since they don’t require an injection.”

The researchers believe the effectiveness of other types of mRNA vaccines now in development, including vaccines for cancer, could be improved by incorporating similar immune-stimulating properties.

If further developed for use in humans, this type of mRNA vaccine could help to reduce costs, reduce the dosage needed, and potentially lead to longer-lasting immunity, wrote these researchers.

The National Institutes of Health and Translate Bio funded the research.