Henipavirus Infections

DEL MAR, Calif., Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Phylex Biosciences has achieved positive results with its new mRNA nanoparticle vaccine against the Nipah virus in an immunogenicity study conducted in collaboration with scientists of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The Nipah virus is a pathogen causing encephalitis and acute respiratory distress in humans, with recent outbreaks in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, and a fatality rate over 50%. The natural hosts of the virus are large fruit bats present across South Asia. Last month the Indian state of Kerala reported the death of a 14-year-old boy from a Nipah virus infection. To date, no approved vaccine or therapeutic exists against the Nipah virus. Phylex has published a preprint of a research article on immunogenicity of its Nipah mRNA nanoparticle vaccine candidate in mice co-authored with scientists of the CDC (). The vaccine elicited a robust neutralizing antibody response, with neutralizing titers markedly higher than with several other Nipah vaccine designs, and efficient neutralizing even with a single dose. The Phylex mRNA vaccine encodes for a nanoparticle displaying 60 copies of the antigen based upon the head domain of the G protein of the Nipah virus. In virus neutralization assays, neutralization titers of Phylex vaccine-elicited sera against Nipah virus were 3-fold the average titers of 14 individuals in Bangladesh who survived a Nipah virus infection. "We are grateful to our co-authors at the CDC for their contribution in assessing our vaccine against this difficult pathogen," said Pascal Brandys, co-founder and CEO of Phylex Biosciences. "The results confirm the strong advantage of our mRNA vaccine encoding for a highly immunogenic nanoparticle, as compared with a variety of other technologies." "Our vaccine combines the advantages of mRNA for speed of manufacturing and development and a nanoparticle for efficacy after one dose," Brandys continued. "We will aggressively pursue the clinical development of our vaccine candidate to initiate clinical trials with exposed individuals on a compassionate basis and save lives as soon as possible." About Phylex BioSciences Founded at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by genomics pioneer Pascal Brandys and virologist Jens Herold, Phylex BioSciences is the first company to pursue the development of a mRNA nanoparticle vaccine against the Nipah virus. SOURCE Phylex BioSciences

Scientists from the UKHSA will use a model of Nipah virus disease to evaluate vaccines developed by the Pirbright Institute. Credit: FOTOGRIN via Shutterstock. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has teamed up with the Pirbright Institute to develop vaccines against henipavirus – a group of viruses such as Nipah and Hendra viruses, which can cause severe respiratory and neurological diseases in humans through contact with infected animals. As part of the research, funded by the Medical Research Council, scientists from the UKHSA will use a model of Nipah virus to evaluate vaccines developed by the Pirbright Institute. The World Health Organization has identified Nipah as a priority disease that needs urgent research due to its potential for severe outbreaks. However, it is possible that a novel virus from the whole genus can emerge. Therefore, the aim of the collaboration is to develop a vaccine that provides cross protection against the whole genus of viruses, rather than specific ones. In August 2023, the UKHSA launched the Vaccine Development Evaluation Centre (VDEC), whose key focus is on pathogens for which no vaccines exist or for which vaccines are not regulated in the country. There is no approved vaccine available for the Nipah virus. Located at the Porton Down site of the UKHSA, over 200 scientists will work on almost 100 projects, facilitating the development of new vaccines by testing and assessing them against a range of threats that can lead to a health emergency. The facility will operate throughout the vaccine lifecycle, from product design to the assessment of effectiveness, as new variants emerge. See Also: AstraZeneca snaps up Amolyt for $1.05bn to boost rare disease pipeline Merck to start trials investigating single dosing regimen of HPV vaccine In the announcement accompanying the collaboration, project lead for Pirbright Dalan Bailey said: “Understanding whether vaccines for Nipah or other henipaviruses can provide cross-protection against related viruses is a really important first step in the development of broadly acting vaccines. This is especially important as we try to build more robust pandemic preparedness plans in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we are delighted to be working with UKHSA on this project.” In January 2024, Oxford University in the UK initiated a first-in-human clinical trial to evaluate ChAdOx1 NipahB, a Nipah virus vaccine. Enrolling 51 individuals, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is providing funding for the trial.

Under the grant, Evotec says it aims to discover and develop RNA-targeting small molecules as potential first-in-class therapeutics against Henipaviruses. Henipavirus is a genus of zoonotic viruses, which means they were transmitted from animals to humans, and they can cause fatal encephalitis in humans. The genus comprises six different established species including Hendra virus and Nipah virus, from which it receives its name. The World Health Organization lists henipaviral agents as research and development Blueprint priority pathogens, indicating their pandemic potential. Currently there are no approved drugs or vaccines for neither Hendra nor Nipah virus infections available underlining an urgent need for accelerated research and development. Under the grant, Evotec will leverage its RNA-targeting small molecules (rSM) platform to identify promising RNA sequences to target with small molecule ligands that can be developed into potentially first-in-class therapeutics. Dr Werner Lanthaler, chief executive officer of Evotec, said: “Mission-driven foundations are key for our long-term strategy. This is the first time that we have been supported by Open Philanthropy and we are very excited about this opportunity. The grant will enable us to pursue an innovative RNA-targeting approach to address the pandemic challenges posed by Henipaviruses. Through PRROTECT, (Evotec’s pandemic Preparedness and Rapid RespOnse TEChnology platform) we strive to make a meaningful contribution to achieve targets set under the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No 3 and make new, safe and effective treatment options available for these pandemic threats.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('text-ad1'); }); Henipavirus is a genus of viruses in the family Paramyxoviridae, containing six established species. They derive their name from two of these species, Nipah virus and Hendra virus. They were first identified in the mid-1990s. Infection in humans causes a range of illnesses, from asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. Nipah virus outbreaks in India and Bangladesh have occurred with high case fatality estimated at 40% to 75%. This rate can vary by outbreak depending on local capabilities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management. Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern. There is no treatment or vaccine available and the primary treatment for humans is supportive care. Therefore, Nipah virus is one of the pathogens in the WHO R&D Blueprint list of epidemic threats needing urgent R&D action.