A collaboration between The Pirbright Institute and US-based AuraVax Therapeutics, Inc. will evaluate the efficacy of a new host-directed therapeutic platform.
The Houston-based biotech company will employ Pirbright’s pig influenza model to assess NanoSTING-001, designed to locally activate the innate immune response as a broad- spectrum host-directed therapeutic for respiratory infections, whether seasonal or biothreats.
Funded by Gates Foundation, the study will assess the ability of NanoSTING-001 to protect pigs from influenza infection. The results are anticipated to provide data on the efficacy of NanoSTING-001 and inform the design of upcoming clinical trials.
Respiratory pathogens continue to be a major source of clinical disease burden. For influenza, the World Health Organization estimates the annual incidence of severe disease is three to five million cases and results in upwards of 650,000 deaths
Professor Elma Tchilian, Head of Mucosal Immunology at Pirbright, said: “We are delighted to see the value of the pig influenza model recognised through this collaboration. The model offers great promise for the evaluation of therapeutics for both animal and human health.”
Joseph Sullivan, AuraVax CEO, said: “We are pleased to work with Pirbright to conduct studies in validated swine models of influenza infection. We are grateful to the Gates foundation for their financial support as these studies will provide important scientific information for the field of host-directed therapies. Our expectation is that NanoSTING-001 will reduce the seasonal disease burden of respiratory infections and provide a novel countermeasure to help mute the onset of emerging respiratory pathogens.”
For further information on Pirbright’s mucosal immunology work, visit our webpage.