EpiVax among companies tapped to create Q fever vaccine

EPIVAX, LED by Dr. Anne De Groot, is among several companies that are working on development of a vaccine against Q fever, an emerging infectious disease. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
EPIVAX, LED by Dr. Anne De Groot, is among several companies that are working on development of a vaccine against Q fever, an emerging infectious disease. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

PROVIDENCE – The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is investing $5.2 million for the development of a new type of vaccine against Q fever, and a local company is involved in the effort.
EpiVax, led by Dr. Anne S. De Groot, is working with the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center and Massachusetts General Hospital to focus on rapid vaccine development for the emerging infectious disease.
The VaxCelerate consortium also includes collaborators from Colorado State University; InnatOss Laboratories in Oss, the Netherlands, and Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
EpiVax contributes immunoinformatics tools to speed the pace of vaccine development and also provides rapid clues about the likelihood of success in human trials, according to the company.
“EpiVax has worked hard to be at the forefront of the ‘vaccines on demand’ concept. Their selection as a partner in this project recognizes their leadership in terms of developing safer, more efficient vaccines and improving our national biodefense rapid response capabilities,” U.S. Sen. Jack F. Reed said in a statement.
Following a delayed response to the H1N1 flu in 2009, the U.S. federal government has made major investments in rapid vaccine manufacturing approaches, according to information from EpiVax.
The VaxCelerate effort received early funding from the Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency to integrate cutting-edge technologies into an end-to-end vaccine development process.
The consortium was able to successfully develop and test a new vaccine for Lassa fever in 120 days, starting only from genomic data on the virus, EpiVax said.
The current DTRA-funded project focuses on the development of an RNA-based vaccine that will promote protective responses against the Q fever bacteria without the potential safety issues that prevent existing vaccine candidates from receiving U.S. regulatory approval for use in humans, EpiVax said.

Q fever is a worldwide disease that affects humans and is caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii, EpiVax said.

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