Zika virus vaccine

The challenge

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus spread by mosquitoes. While most infections in adults produce relatively minor symptoms, epidemics across the Pacific and South America in 2015-2017 caused >1 million infections and revealed devastating causal links to microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects in babies born following prenatal infection.

Risk of ZIKV-induced congenital malformations is high, observed in 29-41% of births from infected mothers. Microcephaly cannot be corrected, and the accompanying disabilities are lifelong and catastrophic. Care to improve quality of life is extremely expensive with total lifetime costs, medical and indirect, estimated to range from USD$1 million to $10 million per child. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for ZIKV.

Our solution

Lead researcher Dr Branka Grubor-Bauk and her team have developed a new Zika virus vaccine to prevent infection of pregnant women and the resultant congenital effects in the unborn child. This novel formulation will combine a protective Zika virus DNA vaccine with a solid dose thermostable formulation, enabling simple, robust and needle-free vaccine administration. The innovative combination of this vaccine formulation and delivery system is expected to enhance the vaccine’s efficacy, thermal stability and allow for safe and rapid deployment in a target population that is otherwise geographically and economically disadvantaged.

How we helped

The ICP Commercialisation team have worked with the research team to:

  • Provide intellectual property advice and management. The vaccine is protected by a PCT patent application with international filing planned to cover target markets.
  • Develop a technical development plan to map out and understand resources required to progress the technology toward clinical trials.
  • Advance discussions with commercial partners.
  • Draft a commercial development plan to identify funding sources, partnership opportunities and IP strategy.
  • Prepare and review grant applications for multiple funding sources.
  • Provide funding for proof of concept work through our Commercial Accelerator Scheme (CAS) and to leverage these funds with other sources.

Outcomes

Funding

$675k was received from the Federal Government’s Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTBF) program.

A further $675k in matched funding was provided by industry partners Enesi Pharma, The Hospital Research Foundation, the University of Adelaide's Commercial Accelerator Scheme and the University of Adelaide’s Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

Partnerships

The University of Adelaide has a Collaboration Agreement with Enesi Pharma who own ImplaVax - a needle-free delivery platform with the potential to enhance vaccine efficacy.

Development

The University is working with Enesi Pharma to complete preclinical translational mouse and non-human primate (NHP) studies. Biomedical Translation Bridge Funding will be used to evaluate the vaccine in NHP in support of regulatory approval. 

Media release: $1.35M for world-first needle-free Zika virus vaccine