Pharma tech company granted $14.3m to deliver affordable vaccines
A pharma technology company has received a $14.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help increase the availability of measles and rubella (M&R) vaccines in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Univercells will use the funding to adapt the process design of its proprietary NevoLine platform to deliver affordable M&R vaccines.
The company’s partner, Batavia Biosciences, will adapt its highly intensified production process to the M&R vaccines and manufacture good manufacturing practices (GMP) material. Univercells will also explore utilising vaccine delivery technologies to potentially reduce costs, facilitate the execution of immunisation campaigns and improve accessibility of critical vaccines.
Viral infectious diseases such as measles and rubella represent a significant global health burden and are still prevalent in developing countries despite vaccination programmes.
Conventional vaccine manufacturing requires high capital and operating costs and does not provide a sustainable or cost-effective solution for the future. Univercells will leverage its NevoLine bioproduction platform to sustainably supply measles and rubella vaccines at an affordable cost by minimising equipment and facility related capital investment together with lower operating costs.
“We are very honoured to receive this grant and work once again with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase affordability of the measles - rubella vaccine, another critical vaccine especially in view of the recent outbreaks worldwide”, said Hugues Bultot, CEO and co-founder of Univercells. “We are dedicated to delivering a portfolio of viral vaccines such as inactivated polio, measles and rubella and other undersupplied vaccines to further increase the availability of these life - saving products.”
José Castillo, CTO and co-founder of Univercells added: “This second project with the foundation confirms the trust built upon our breakthrough technology. It enables Univercells to demonstrate the potential of our NevoLine manufacturing platform to be a game - changer for global health”.