Hyderabad, July 26 (UNI) The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), partners with Consortium of Bharat Biotech (BB), University of Sydney, and ExcellGene to Develop ‘VariantProof’ Covid-19 Vaccine.ExcellGene is a recognized leader in the development and manufacturing of complex proteins (DNA to product) for therapeutic or prophylactic applications, an example being trimeric spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 (1), Hyderabad-based vaccine maker BB said in a release here on Tuesday Together with BB, and Prof. Jamie Triccas and his team at the University Of Sydney, Australia, ExcellGene will generate and screen a large and diverse library of chimeric spike proteins to identify highly cross-reactive antigen structures that recall past and possibly future variants. CEPI will provide up to US$19.3 million in funding to develop a ‘variant-proof’ SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate for phase I clinical trials.
With this new funding, ExcellGene expands on collaboration with the team of Prof. Jamie Triccas that started in early 2020.ExcellGene began to produce Wuhan trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins in March 2020, and subsequently Alpha, Beta, Delta, and, recently, Omicron variants. The Company delivered these antigens to its partners as highly purified, stabilized, trimeric spike proteins that had been engineered for high-yield production. By April/May 2021, the Sydney group had verified that such trimeric adjuvanted spike preparations were highly immunogenic in preclinical models [2]. Blocking virus infection was shown in-vitro and in preclinical models with virus variants different from the immunizing antigen. Earlier, ExcellGene had conducted research in an EU-Horizon 2020-funded project on an Ebola candidate antigen molecule that resulted in sterilizing immunity in preclinical challenge models.
An entirely new “chimeric” spike antigen complex, different from any protein of existing SARS-CoV-2 variants, will be generated. It is expected that such a trimeric spike protein, composed of combined mutations that characterize virus variants of concern from 2020- 2022 (VOCs), will induce a wider range of cross-reactivity against historic or future variants than any of the individual virus variants did before.
ExcellGene will reduce the diversity of such structures through artificial intelligence mediation analysis in combination with structure-function insights gained in examining the evolution of spike versions that resulted in the emergence of VOCs. Variable immune responses in vaccinated people with different strains will also be taken into consideration.
Maria Wurm, Dr. es. sci., CEO of ExcellGene, said this new CEPI partnership is a great opportunity to showcase what is possible in the manufacturing of highly complex antigen structures, consisting of computer-designed individual monomers, for a potential variant proof Covid-19 vaccine. We are excited to work closely with our consortium partners to reach this goal, and we hope it will contribute to the science of this and other novel protein-based vaccines, Dr. Maria Wurm added.
Prof Jamie Triccas, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney said: our mission is to deliver safe, affordable, and highly effective vaccines to combat existing and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, and our international consortium is well placed to achieve this goal. The University of Sydney will provide a framework for pre-clinical assessment of vaccine candidates, together with access to Australia’s world-class early phase clinical trial community.”Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman, and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech said.
