Meissa Vaccines Secures $30 Million Series A Funding Led by Morningside to Advance RSV Vaccine Development

On September 30, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that biotechnology company Meissa Vaccines (“Meissa”) announced the completion of a $30 million Series A financing round, led by Morningside Ventures.

Upon completion of this funding round, Meissa will conduct Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and expand its vaccine production lines.

It is reported that Meissa completed a $3.4 million seed financing round in March 2019.

Meissa Vaccines, Inc., founded in 2014 and headquartered in California, USA, is a biotechnology company. The company primarily develops vaccines against respiratory infections based on viral vectors to prevent respiratory diseases caused by pathogens such as RSV.

RSV is a common virus that causes respiratory tract infections. Respiratory tract infections are prone to recurrence, are prevalent in children under the age of four, and peak during the spring and winter seasons. According to statistics, there are up to 50,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States among children under five years old due to RSV-related respiratory tract infections.

Meissa’s lead candidate, MV-012-968, has been genetically engineered to offer improved safety and stability, and is currently administered via intranasal vaccination. The vaccine primarily targets airway epithelial cells, inducing the immune system to produce high levels of mucosal antibodies. As a highly attenuated live vaccine, these characteristics distinguish MV-012-968 from other live attenuated vaccines.

Attenuated live vaccines are pathogens that have been attenuated through formaldehyde treatment while retaining certain antigenicity. After administration, these vaccines do not cause disease but can induce an immune response in the host via the pathogen.

Meissa’s RSV vaccine can alleviate the burden of respiratory diseases, reduce asthma incidence, and prevent exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bringing new hope to patients with respiratory conditions and their families. Meissa’s drug development team is optimizing its live-attenuated RSV vaccine to provide an RSV prevention solution for infants and young children worldwide. Meissa stated that the RSV vaccine also helps enhance immune function in elderly patients.

Dr. Martin Moore, CEO of Meissa Vaccines, said, “We are delighted that Morningside Ventures is providing financial support. This investment will help Meissa enhance its operational capabilities and accelerate the development and commercialization of novel vaccines.”

About Morningside Ventures

Morningside Ventures, founded by the Chen family of Hong Kong in 1986, is one of China’s earliest firms engaged in early-stage venture capital. The firm has successfully invested in numerous companies, including Sohu, Ctrip, and Focus Media.

(Compiled by Xu Xiaoxue)