Gates Foundation Awards $8.6 Million to Expand Development of Multi-Dose Pediatric Vaccines Using Novel Adjuvants
- by TVR Staff
- Published
- Future Vaccines
On Dec. 5, 2024, formulation technology company VitriVax, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado was awarded a two-year, $3.6 million grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help “fund development of a polio vaccine formulation for possible inclusion in combination pediatric vaccines.” “We are honored to be part of the global drive to protect children from polio infection and contribute to polio eradication efforts,” said VitriVax’s CEO Romulo Colindres, MD, MPH.1 2
According to Vitrivax, it “will be applying its proprietary Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA) technology to new polio vaccine candidates composed of virus-like particles (VLPs) for use in future combination hexavalent (six in one) vaccines.” It noted that use of VLPs is being studied for the next generation of polio vaccines. VitriVax believes that its ALTA technology could “facilitate the co-formulation of multiple, otherwise incompatible, antigens in a single injection.1 2
New Adjuvant Technology Could Revolutionize Vaccines
On its website, Vitrivax acknowledges that there are “two central technological challenges” that often limit the expanded use of some vaccines. The first challenge is to maintain a vaccine’s thermostability—the ability to resist irreversible change in its chemical or physical structure—during transport and storage. The second is the need to give multiple doses of a vaccine to allow for the most robust immune response possible to infections. VitriVax believes that ALTA is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to enable the production of more thermostable, multiple-dose vaccines and, thus, “redefine the future of vaccine technology.”3 4
The grant from the Gates Foundation is specifically aimed at applying the ALTA platform to the development of childhood vaccines that would include six or more vaccines in one shot, including the inactivated polio vaccine—the goal being to reduce the number of vaccines administered individually. As stated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Combining vaccines into fewer shots may mean that more children will get recommended vaccinations on time.7
Currently, common combination vaccines for children in the United States include:
- Pediarix (DTaP + Hep B + IPV)
- Kinrix (DTaP + IPV)
- Pentacel (DTaP + IPV + Hib)
- Quadracel (DTaP + IPV)
- ProQuad (DTaP + IPV +Hib +HepB)
- Vaxelis (DTaP + IPV +Hib +HepB)5 6
Pediarix and Kinrix are manufactured by GSK of the United Kingdom, Pentacel and Quadracel by Sanofi Pasteur of France, ProQuad by Merck of the United States, and Vaxelis by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur. Only one these vaccines—Vaxelis—combines six vaccines in one.5
The Gates Foundation followed up on Dec. 6 with another grant to VitriVax worth $5 million to further develop ALTA and commence development of “pilot-scale manufacturing capacity” for the technology. As part of the grant, VitriVax said it will study the ALTA “mechanism of action using model antigens, such as those targeting HIV” (human immunodeficiency virus).5
Note: DTaP stands for Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; Hep B for hepatitis B; IPV for inactivated polio; and Hib for Haemophilus influenzae type b.
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