mRNA Vaccines Enter New Frontier: Targeting Latent Viruses with Shingles and EBV Candidates

mRNA Technology Achieves Great Success in the Development of COVID-19 Vaccines, Sparking Its Application in Other Infectious Disease Vaccines. Today, BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna Have Respectively Announced New Progress in the Development of Infectious Disease Vaccines.

Development of mRNA Shingles Vaccine: Pfizer and BioNTech Collaborate Again

Today, Pfizer and BioNTech announced a new R&D collaboration to jointly develop an mRNA vaccine for the prevention of shingles. The press release noted that it could become the first mRNA vaccine to prevent shingles. This marks the third collaboration between Pfizer and BioNTech in the field of infectious diseases, following their 2018 partnership to develop a flu vaccine and their 2020 collaboration to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.

Herpes zoster is a chronic infection of the varicella-zoster virus. After the initial symptoms of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in the body's nerve cells and can be reactivated by stress or a weakened immune system. This viral reactivation causes extremely painful skin symptoms.

According to the agreement, both parties will utilize Pfizer's proprietary antigen technology discovered by its scientists and BioNTech's mRNA technology platform. Clinical trials are expected to begin in the second half of 2022. BioNTech will receive a $75 million upfront payment and $150 million in equity investment, and is eligible for up to $200 million in regulatory and commercial milestone payments. BioNTech will pay Pfizer $25 million for access to its proprietary antigen technology.

"Pfizer and BioNTech jointly developed the world's first mRNA vaccine, providing a well-tolerated and effective tool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer. "This agreement allows us to continue advancing mRNA technology together to address another health challenge."

Moderna Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccine Enters Clinical Trials

Moderna Announces First Participant Dosed in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Candidate Vaccine mRNA-1189

EBV is a common viral infection transmitted through body fluids, usually occurring in early childhood or adolescence. While EBV infections in early childhood are typically asymptomatic, the first infection during adolescence may lead to infectious mononucleosis, with clinical symptoms including fever, fatigue, sore throat, and lymphadenopathy. After infection, EBV remains in the human body for life, potentially increasing the risk of multiple sclerosis by 4-10 times and being associated with certain cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Moderna's candidate vaccine mRNA-1189 is designed to prevent EBV-induced infectious mononucleosis and potentially prevent EBV infection. It contains four mRNAs encoding different EBV glycoproteins. Currently, there are no approved vaccines for EBV or infectious mononucleosis.

This Phase 1 clinical trial is expected to recruit approximately 270 adult volunteers aged 18-30, primarily assessing the safety and tolerability of mRNA-1189.

References:

[1] Pfizer and BioNTech Sign New Global Collaboration Agreement to Develop First mRNA-based Shingles Vaccine. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/pfizer-and-biontech-sign-new-global-collaboration-agreement

[2] MODERNA ANNOUNCES FIRST PARTICIPANT DOSED IN PHASE 1 STUDY OF ITS MRNA EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS (EBV) VACCINE. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://investors.modernatx.com/news/news-details/2022/Moderna-Announces-First-Participant-Dosed-in-Phase-1-Study-of-its-mRNA-Epstein-Barr-Virus-EBV-Vaccine/default.aspx

(Original text has been abridged)

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