Abnova Moves its Self-Amplifying mRNA Vaccine Testing to Larger Animals Targeting COVID-19 This Month

Neihu, Taiwan (May 12, 2020)

Abnova announced today that it is expanding the self-amplifying mRNA (SAM) vaccine testing targeting COVID-19 coronavirus. SAM is the next generation mRNA therapeutics against infections and cancers. Abnova has sourced lipid nanoparticle for mRNA delivery from a renown industry leader and provider of mRNA delivery to the world’s largest therapeutic companies. Leveraging its DNAx™ platform, Abnova has already successfully validated gene sequences generating effective neutralizing antibody response against COVID-19 in mice. By integrating these elements into a novel COVID-19 SAM vaccine, Abnova set forth a series of larger animal testing and safety studies starting this month and entering a global vaccine race against time.

Compared to a conventional mRNA, SAM is capable of generating 200,000 copies inside a cell, resulting in higher and more sustained protein expression, better antibody response, and lower dose for immunization. Moreover, SAM and mRNA do not need a cell culture production and are amenable to immediate large-scale GMP manufacturing for commercialization to combat an emergency outbreak. In contrast, several vaccine companies have utilized peptide and subunit protein as immunogens. But they only mimic the natural COVID-19 protein, require cell culture and higher dose for immunization, translating to lower scalability and higher cost. DNA is also being used as an immunogen but carries a risk of genome integration.

Companies such Moderna in US, CureVac and BioNTech in Germany have pioneered the use of mRNA vaccines against a multitude of diseases. They have gained a head start in a global vaccine race against COVID-19. It is important get to the finish line to know which company will have the combined technical advantage, manufacturing scalability, cost compatibility, and universal deployment to become the true winner. Most likely, not one company can satisfy the world’s demand of COVID-19 vaccine. As a RNA virus, COVID-19 is capable of constantly mutating which further complicates vaccine development and requires a vaccine platform technology which can rapidly accommodate a changing virus.