Dutch biotechnology company Mucosis B.V. and the global nonprofit
organization PATH today announced a partnership to advance the development
of pneumococcal vaccine candidates.
Under the collaboration agreement, Mucosis will develop intranasal vaccines based on
Mucosis’s proprietary pneumococcus-specific antigens and its Mimopath™ technology.
PATH will provide approximately €400,000 for a 12-month study to further Mucosis’s
preclinical research of multivalent protein vaccine candidates through evaluation of the
immunization route and optimization of antigens for protection. Radboud University
Nijmegen Medical Centre (The Netherlands) will evaluate vaccine candidates in
established models of pneumococcal diseases. If the study results are positive, Mucosis
and PATH intend to extend their collaboration.
“Working with PATH offers us yet another opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities
of our technology in an important indication” said Govert Schouten, CEO of Mucosis.
“Our common goal is to produce a broadly protective pneumococcal vaccine that offers
the public health systems efficacy and ease of administration.”
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in young children in the developing world. Each
year, more than two million children die from this disease. Pneumococcus (scientific
name Streptococcus pneumoniae), the bacterium that is the most common cause of severe
pneumonia, also causes sepsis (blood infection) and meningitis (brain infection), which
disable and kill children worldwide. In addition, it is one of the leading causes of otitis
media (middle ear infection).
“While current pneumococcal vaccines are effective in preventing morbidity and
mortality due to pneumococcal disease, additional vaccines are ultimately needed to
expand protection for children in low-income countries, where most pneumococcus
deaths occur,” noted Dr. Mark Alderson, director of PATH’s Pneumococcal Vaccine
Project. “We are pleased to partner with Mucosis on this approach to developing
pneumococcal vaccines that will be effective and affordable in the countries that most
urgently need them.”
About Mucosis
Mucosis B.V. is a Dutch biotechnology company developing innovative mucosal vaccines that
can be applied needle-free via the nose or mouth. Mucosis’s lead product candidate is
FluGEM™, an intranasal vaccine to prevent influenza. Mucosis’s vaccines are based on the
patented Mimopath™ technology. This technology enables a more natural immune response
as well as a broad base of protection.
About Mimopath™ technology
Mimopath™ technology is based on Lactococcus lactis, a safe bacterium commonly used in the
food industry. Mucosis has developed an easy technique to formulate the L. lactis bacteria into
non-living particles that can be loaded with antigens from viral, bacterial, or parasitic origin.
The antigen-covered particles form a vaccine that can be delivered into the nose or mouth,
without the need for a needle. These vaccines raise protective immunity by activation of both
the innate and the adaptive immune system.
About PATH
PATH is an international nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant
solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By
collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps provide appropriate
health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and act. PATH’s work
improves global health and well-being. For more information, please visit www.path.org.