Novel Screen Approach to Inactivate Whole Viral Vaccines by Supralethal Irradiation

Future vaccine development should focus on rapid upscale production, long-term and broad protection, and sufficient global distribution to prevent and reduce the impact of many infectious diseases and potential epidemics. Agave BioSystems proposes to develop a novel whole-microorganism vaccine inactivation strategy involving high-throughput screen of extensive radio-protectant matrices and radiation doses using synchrotron X-ray irradiation, and subsequent in vitro analyses to determine the ideal condition for large-scale production on a gamma irradiator. To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the resulting vaccines, Agave BioSystems will collaborate with our STTR partner Dr. Gary Whittaker and Dr. David Topham to use influenza viruses for proof-of-concept validation in Phase I. Our rapidly adaptable vaccine development strategy is applicable to a broad range of viruses and microorganisms, especially those particularly pathogenic and unsuitable for other conventional inactivation methods. The whole-organism based inactivation strategy enables both immediate and long-term immune protection. The process can be easily scaled up on a continuous irradiator to accommodate increased global needs.