Evaxion secures pre-clinical Proof-of-Concept for mRNA Gonorrhea vaccine EVX-B2

Evaxion Biotech A/S, a clinical-stage tech company listed on NASDAQ, has announced promising new pre-clinical data for its mRNA-based gonorrhea vaccine candidate, EVX-B2. This data, to be presented at the 18th Vaccine Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, demonstrates the vaccine's efficacy in eliminating gonorrhea bacteria by stimulating a targeted immune response.

The proof-of-concept (PoC) data for the mRNA version of EVX-B2 highlight its potential use in a pre-clinical setting. EVX-B2 was initially developed as a protein-based prophylactic vaccine, for which initial pre-clinical PoC was already achieved. This new data reinforces that the AI-identified vaccine antigens can be effectively delivered using different vaccine modalities. The research was conducted in collaboration with Afrigen Biologics.

Christian Kanstrup, CEO of Evaxion, expressed excitement over the milestone achievement, stating, "We are pleased to announce the pre-clinical PoC for EVX-B2, thereby reaching another of our milestones for 2024 according to plan as we continue to execute on our strategy. It is exciting to see yet another validation of our AI-Immunology™ platform and its potential to help develop new and better treatments also for bacterial diseases. In the case of Gonorrhea, no vaccine exists today, so we have an opportunity here to develop a potentially groundbreaking treatment. Further, the data confirms that our platform is delivery modality agnostic, which is a very strong value proposition towards existing and new partners."

Afrigen Biologics' CEO, Petro Terblanche, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of this breakthrough in addressing antimicrobial resistance and the global increase in gonorrhea cases. "As the antimicrobial resistance challenges globally escalate and effective interventions against increases in cases of Gonorrhea worldwide becomes a public health priority, we are excited to have achieved the pre-clinical PoC for the mRNA version of EVX-B2 as a potential future vaccine product."

Gonorrhea, identified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the five most urgent antibiotic resistance threats globally, poses significant health risks including ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and life-threatening sepsis. Moreover, it can increase the risk of both contracting and transmitting HIV fivefold. According to the CDC, there are approximately 1.14 million new gonorrhea infections annually in the United States, with around 550,000 of these being drug-resistant, resulting in direct medical costs of roughly $133.4 million per year.

Afrigen Biologics, based in Cape Town, South Africa, is a leading biotech start-up focused on advancing healthcare through medical biotechnology. The company is known for establishing the WHO/MPP mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer hub in South Africa and is working towards developing and manufacturing mRNA vaccines for diseases prevalent in Africa and other low-to-middle-income countries. Afrigen has also set up the first-ever vaccine adjuvant production and formulation technology center on the African continent.

Evaxion Biotech A/S employs a proprietary AI platform, AI-Immunology™, to develop novel immunotherapies for cancer, bacterial diseases, and viral infections. The company has an extensive pipeline, which includes clinical-stage oncology vaccines and preclinical infectious disease vaccines addressing significant unmet medical needs. Evaxion is dedicated to transforming patient care by providing innovative and targeted treatment options.