The collaboration includes the option for Afrigen to develop and commercialise the RSV mRNA vaccine in Africa and other LMICs via a milestone and royalty-bearing license from RespIP.

RSV is a leading cause of severe respiratory disease in young children and the elderly, causing over 3.6 million hospitalizations and about 100 000 deaths annually in children under five. More than 95% of paediatric RSV deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlighting the need for accessible vaccines.

Afrigen’s CEO, Professor Petro Terblanche, outlined the significance of the collaboration, stating:

“This partnership with the ForgeBio team providing access to novel potent antigens, complements the product and process development platforms at Afrigen designed to develop and deliver novel vaccines prioritizing the burden of disease in Africa and other LMICs. We are excited about the opportunity this partnership presents to enhance the extensive work Afrigen has done on the development of a safe, effective and affordable vaccine against RSV.”

ForgeBio’s in-house AI-platform enables the design of prefusion-stabilized viral antigens optimized for both immunogenicity and manufacturability.

“Our technology is designed to deliver best-in-class vaccine antigens that combine potent immune responses with strong expression and stability,” said Dr. Mark Bakkers, co-founder of ForgeBio and RespIP.

“Seeing our RSV candidate evaluated in an mRNA format is an important step,” added Dr. Hans Langedijk, co-founder of ForgeBio and RespIP. “Afrigen’s expertise and leadership are essential, and together we aim to enable a vaccine that is both effective and accessible for Africa and other LMICs, and impactful for global health.”

Dr Caryn Fenner Executive Manager mRNA Platforms at Afrigen stated “This innovative exciting partnership enables the mRNA technology platform established at Afrigen through the support of the WHO and MPP to expand the pipeline of products to be developed for the mRNA Programme. This supports the sustainability of manufacturing capacity being created in the LMIC partners.”

Afrigen Biologics, a Cape Town-based biotechnology company, is being supported by the WHO and MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Programme to operate as the Center for mRNA vaccine technology development and transfer. Afrigen has also established the first-ever vaccine adjuvant production and formulation technology center on the African continent. This center, in partnership with the Access to Advanced Health Initiative (AAHI), a world leader in adjuvant development, focuses on next-generation vaccine adjuvants, which are not only geared at preventing disease, but have therapeutic value.

More information: https://www.afrigen.co.za/.

ForgeBio is a Netherlands-based protein engineering company that leverages extensive expertise in viral and bacterial proteins, cutting-edge physics-based software, and newly-developed AI technology to improve potency, stability and expression levels of vaccine antigens, enzymes, and antibodies.

More information: https://forge-bio.com/