Affinivax Announces Collaboration with PATH to Advance the Company’s Lead Vaccine Candidate for Pneumococcal Disease

Affinivax Inc. has entered into a collaboration agreement with PATH, a global health nonprofit organization, to advance the company’s lead vaccine candidate for Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).  The partnership includes funding from PATH to support product development, preclinical testing and manufacturing, with the goal to qualify and select a final development candidate to advance towards clinical testing.

The vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae that is the focus of the collaboration was developed using Affinivax’s proprietary Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) technology. The MAPS technology offers the potential to protect children and adults against a broader range of pneumococcal strains and invasive disease, as well as reduce the amount and duration of nasopharyngeal colonization (carriage) and disease transmission. By combining protective polysaccharides and proteins in a single vaccine to induce a robust B and T cell immune response against both disease and carriage, MAPS represents a next generation approach in vaccine technologies. The highly efficient process of MAPS also provides for a more rapid and cost-efficient approach to producing vaccines, enabling greater global access to children and adults in need.

“Affinivax’s MAPS technology offers the potential to increase breadth of protection with a cost-effective approach, which could enable children to have access to life-saving vaccines against pneumococcus,” said Dr Mark Alderson, director of PATH’s pneumococcal vaccine project. “This collaboration with Affinivax exemplifies PATH’s dedication to working with scientists and companies to advance vaccines that can prevent the spread of pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases among children in the developing world.”

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with PATH and benefit from their extensive expertise and experience in the global development of vaccines against pneumococcus,” said Steven B. Brugger, CEO of Affinivax. “PATH’s commitment and involvement will enable us to accelerate the development of our lead vaccine program towards the clinic and realize our goal to offer more accessible vaccines, with broader protection against diseases, to children and adults around the world.”