CEPI-funded Partnership Seeks to Develop a Variant-Proof SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine

ExcellGene SA has announced its role in the recently approved consortium funding through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global partnership of public, private, philanthropic and civil society organisations founded to develop vaccines against future epidemics. The consortium partnership strives to advance a new vaccine concept that confers highly cross-reactive protection against numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) as well as other Betacoronaviruses. ExcellGene will produce complex chimeric Spike antigens using its engineered CHOExpress®-cell based technology. The Swiss company will use insights from several scientific and technical disciplines along with artificial intelligence to identify the most promising antigenic structure.

Together with Bharat Biotech, and Professor 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.

The ExcellGene team will produce complex chimeric proteins using its engineered CHOExpress®-cell based technology, and Professor Triccas and his team will assess the range of immune responses in various animal species and undertake a Phase 1 trial to assess safety and immunogenicity of the lead candidate.

Professor Jamie Triccas, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney said: “We are delighted to partner with ExcellGene, Bharat Biotech and the CEPI organisation to progress our platform for the development of broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines. 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.”