Emcure Pharma arm Gennova advances development of Nipah virus vaccine
Pune: Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. subsidiary Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., is advancing the development of a pathbreaking self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) vaccine against the deadly Nipah virus.
This critical initiative is supported by an expanded partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with funding of up to US$13.38 million. Gennova will also team up with US-based Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI), also a CEPI partner, to use their cutting-edge AI technology to optimize the properties of proteins derived from the virus that could stimulate the immune system and serve as optimal vaccine targets for Gennova to investigate in the lab and in the clinic.
Nipah virus belongs to the Paramyxovirus family. It is one of the deadliest pathogens known to infect humans. So far, Nipah outbreaks have been confined to South and Southeast Asia, but the fruit-bat vector is found in large geographical areas across the globe covering a population of more than 2 billion people.
“With no vaccines or specific therapeutics approved for human use against Nipah, CEPI is leading the charge to protect the world against this deadly virus committing over US$100 million to its Nipah programmes and advancing the first ever Nipah vaccine candidates into Phase 1 studies and through to completion”, said Dr Kent Kester, Executive Director of Vaccine Research and Development at CEPI. “Gennova’s work will not only help establish the suitability of the saRNA platform for use against Nipah but also its suitability as part of a wider group of RNA technologies that could enable rapid responses to future Disease X threats, potentially within 100 days of identification.”
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