Benzinga | Nov 1, 2021 08:31AM EDT

PDS Biotech Announces Agreement With University Of Georgia To License Novel Proteins For Versamune-Based Universal Flu Vaccine

PDS Biotechnology Corporation (NASDAQ:PDSB), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing novel cancer therapies and infectious disease vaccines based on the Company's proprietary Versamune(r) T-cell activating technology, today announced an agreement to license COBRA (Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigen) antigens from the University of Georgia initially for use in the clinical development of its infectious disease immunotherapy pipeline, PDS0202, a universal flu vaccine candidate.



"Our new agreement with the University of Georgia demonstrates the versatility and potential of our Versamune(r) platform and advances our infectious disease pipeline," commented PDS Biotech CEO, Frank Bedu-Addo. "There are four types of seasonal influenza viruses, and a universal flu vaccine would eliminate the need to manufacture a new seasonal flu vaccine each year by providing robust, long-lasting protection against multiple subtypes of flu. We believe this is the next step in the advancement of novel infectious disease vaccines to address the nearly one billion cases of influenza worldwide annually."

Designed by renowned influenza expert, Dr. Ted Ross at the University of Georgia, the novel COBRA antigens are to be used in combination with Versamune(r) for PDS0202 for the universal prevention of infection by multiple strains of influenza virus. The antigens were selected following successful pre-clinical development work completed under a contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program to progress PDS0202 development. PDS0202 leverages Versamune(r)'s ability to induce the immune system to generate high levels of flu-specific neutralizing antibodies, CD4 helper and CD8 killer T-cells, as well as long-acting memory T-cells to potentially provide broad and long-term protection against multiple influenza strains. Influenza is estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths globally each year.

"The preclinical results of the combination of COBRA antigens and Versamune(r) were impressive, especially given the unique problem in developing a universal flu vaccine," added Dr. Ross. "Designing a vaccine that works for many influenza strains is the goal. We are excited to see how the PDS0202 -- COBRA vaccine performs in human trials."