VLP BioTech Announces Novel VLP-Based Therapeutic Vaccine for Chronic HBV/HDV Infection

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VLP BioTech, Inc., a private preclinical biotechnology company specializing in epitope-based vaccine design, announced that it has developed a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of chronic HBV/HDV infection. MYR GmbH, soon to be acquired by Gilead Sciences, has made significant progress in the treatment of chronic HBV/HDV infection, recently providing clinical proof-of-concept for the efficacy of its peptide-based viral entry inhibitor (Hepcludex). VLP BioTech announced the development of a more practical vaccine-based viral entry inhibitor to prevent HBV/HDV from invading the liver. VLP BioTech, Inc. is seeking potential partners or licensees interested in the clinical development of this technology or combination therapies.

The therapeutic agent developed by MYR GmbH is an acylated PreS1 polypeptide that prevents viral entry into hepatocytes by binding to the virus-specific hepatic receptor (NTCP); however, this approach requires daily polypeptide injections. Since HBV and HDV utilize the same receptor, the same entry inhibitor is effective against both viruses. VLP BioTech’s vaccine therapy is based on virus-like particles (VLPs) displaying multiple PreS1-specific B-cell epitopes, which can bypass immune tolerance in chronic infection models, induce antibodies that directly bind to the virus, prevent acute infection, and clear serum HBV. Vaccination offers numerous advantages over polypeptide therapy: PreS1 antibodies bind to the virus rather than hepatocytes (reducing potential toxicity); only 2–3 VLP injections are required over several months, as opposed to daily polypeptide injections for 24–48 weeks; costs are significantly reduced; and anti-PreS1 antibodies possess multiple antiviral effector functions not available with polypeptides.

Our VLP-based approach is highly compatible with dual-modality or multimodal therapies. Indeed, in our recent publication, we highlighted a combination strategy that can also induce HBV-specific CTLs (https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2019.1689745). We are actively seeking partners or licensees to advance this patent-pending immunotherapy into clinical evaluation. For inquiries or further information about this platform or our malaria vaccine, please contactdwhitacre@VLP-Biotech.comordmilich@vrisd.org