GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will partner with VBI Vaccines to study VBI’s LPV™ Platform, a formulation and process designed to help develop vaccines and biologics with improved stability and potency.
The value of the collaboration was not disclosed by VBI, which announced the partnership today. VBI said GSK holds the option to negotiate an exclusive license to the LPV platform for use in an unspecified field.
LPV is designed to enclose and protect the antigen of a vaccine or biologic using a proprietary formulation and process. VBI said it has completed proof-of-concept studies on a number of vaccine and biologic targets that demonstrate the platform’s ability to preserve potency under stress conditions.
VBI said the proof of concept studies showed that potency had been preserved among vaccine and biologic targets that included rabies (18 months at 40°C); influenza (12 months at 40°C); and MMR (8 weeks at 37°C). The platform is designed for either new or existing vaccines.
LPV has been used to preserve stability and potency of several classes of vaccine antigens and biologics, including protein-based, monoclonal antibodies, whole-inactivated, and live-attenuated vaccines and viral vectors, according to VBI.
“With our partners, we seek to develop a next generation of vaccines and biologics with improved stability characteristics that allow for consistently safe and effective administration in both established and emerging markets,” VBI president and CEO Jeff Baxter said in a statement. “This collaboration further validates the significant potential of our LPV Platform.”
GSK’s research collaboration with VBI marks the second vaccine-related partnership for the pharma giant in as many days. Yesterday, Valneva said it will supply process development services for GSK toward manufacturing influenza vaccines based on Valneva’s EB66® cell line, in a collaboration partly financed by the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.