BWV-201: Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) vaccine program
We are developing BWV-201, licensed from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, to prevent Acute Otitis Media, or AOM, and pneumococcal pneumonia in children and adults, a leading cause of hospital visits, prescription antibiotics. AOM due to S. pneumoniae infections range from 30 to 50% of all AOM infections each year.  BWV-201 is a live attenuated serotype-independent intranasal vaccine candidate for S. pneumoniae induced AOM. 

Monasta L, Ronfani L, Marchetti F, Montico M, Vecchi Brumatti L, Bavcar A, Grasso D, Barbiero C, Tamburlini G. Burden of disease caused by otitis media: systematic review and global estimates. PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e36226.

Rosch JW, Iverson AR, Humann J, et al. A live-attenuated pneumococcal vaccine elicits CD4+ T-cell dependent class switching and provides serotype independent protection against acute otitis media. EMBO Mol Med. 2014;6(1):141-154.

Dagan R, Givon-Lavi N, Shkolnik L, Yagupsky P, Fraser D. Acute otitis media caused by antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in southern Israel: implication for immunizing with conjugate vaccines. J Infect Dis. 2000 Apr;181(4):1322-9.

Tong, S., Amand, C., Kieffer, A. et al. Trends in healthcare utilization and costs associated with acute otitis media in the United States during 2008–2014. BMC Health Serv Res 18, 318 (2018). 

 

BWV-101 and BWV-102: Influenza vaccine program

BWV-101 is a universal influenza program licensed from the University of Oxford, where all relevant studies were performed to support our hypothesis. We are developing a broad-spectrum vaccine using patented epitopes of limited variability, or ELV, that provide cross reactive immune response to multiple historical flu strains. Additionally, based upon the successful pre-clinical proof-of-concept (POC) of our H1 epitopes, we are developing a stand-alone H1 influenza vaccine, BWV-102, to provide a long-lasting induced immune response. This POC will be leveraged to develop BWV-101 by studying the cross-reactivity of different flu strains, H1, H3 and influenza B. Data in mice models have demonstrated proof of concept of neutralization against historical and current H1 strains, which includes annual and pandemic strains. This would negate annual flu shots, reformulation and potentially provide protection against future influenza pandemics. 

Publications
 

Thompson, C.P., Lourenço, J., Walters, A.A. et al. A naturally protective epitope of limited variability as an influenza vaccine target. Nat Commun 9, 3859 (2018). 

Kuenstling, T.E., Sambol, A.R., Hinrichs, S.H. et al. Oligomerization of bacterially expressed H1N1 recombinant hemagglutinin contributes to protection against viral challenge. Sci Rep 8, 11856 (2018)

Recker, Pybus, Nee, Gupta, et al. The generation of influenza outbreaks by a network of host immune responses against a limited set of antigenic types. PNAS 104 (2007)

 

BWV-301: Norovirus-rotavirus vaccine program

We are developing a norovirus-rotavirus vaccine, BWV-301, to prevent gastroenteritis utilizing our S&P platform. Preclinical data from gnotobiotic pig studies have shown our vaccine can prevent severe gastroenteritis and reduces viral shedding. While rotavirus vaccines exist in the market, no norovirus vaccine is available to date. Our vaccine would protect people from two of the most globally prevalent viruses causing vomiting and diarrhea.

 

Ramesh A, Mao J, Lei S, Twitchell E, Shiraz A, Jiang X, Tan M, Yuan AL. Parenterally Administered P24-VP8* Nanoparticle Vaccine Conferred Strong Protection against Rotavirus Diarrhea and Virus Shedding in Gnotobiotic Pigs. Vaccines (Basel). 2019 Nov 6;7(4)

Xia M, Huang P, Sun C, Han L, Vago FS, Li K, Zhong W, Jiang W, Klassen JS, Jiang X, Tan M. Bioengineered Norovirus S60 Nanoparticles as a Multifunctional Vaccine Platform. ACS Nano. 2018 Nov 27;12(11):10665-10682.

Tan M, Jiang X. Norovirus Capsid Protein-Derived Nanoparticles and Polymers as Versatile Platforms for Antigen Presentation and Vaccine Development. Pharmaceutics. 2019 Sep 12;11(9):472.

 

 

BWV-302: Norovirus-malaria vaccine program

Additionally, we are currently investigating a malaria vaccine, BWV-302, utilizing our norovirus S&P platform. The vaccine is designed to offer protection from both norovirus and malaria, infectious diseases that occur frequently together in geographic regions. The vaccine utilizes a protein identified on the surface of the plasmodium parasite being presented on the surface of the norovirus nanoparticle.

 

Uwimana, A., Legrand, E., Stokes, B.H. et al. Emergence and clonal expansion of in vitro artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 R561H mutant parasites in Rwanda. Nat Med 26, 1602–1608 (2020)

​