X-Vax Secures $56 Million Series A Financing Led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation to Advance Herpes Vaccine ΔgD-2

On July 23, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that X-Vax had announced the completion of a $56 million Series A financing round. X-Vax has developed a candidate vaccine against herpes, known as ΔgD-2 (delta gD-2). The funds raised in this round will be used for the further development and production of ΔgD-2, including Phase I clinical trials. Participants in this financing round included Johnson & Johnson Innovation, FF DSF VI, Adjuvant Capital, Serum Institute of India, and Alexandria Venture Investments.

Biotechnology company X-Vax was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in New York, USA. The company focuses on the preclinical and clinical development of vaccines against pathogens. X-Vax believes that inducing antibodies that mediate cellular killing of infected cells will trigger novel and effective immune responses. The company’s vision is to combat pathogens causing mucosal infections, such as herpes, influenza, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.

The herpes vaccine ΔgD-2 (delta gD-2), developed by X-Vax, is based on an HSV-2 virus with a genetic deletion encoding glycoprotein D (gD-2). X-Vax has demonstrated the ability to prevent infections caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in multiple preclinical models. The vaccine induces Fc receptor-activating antibodies, employing antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) as the primary mechanism of protection. This process marks infected cells for destruction by innate immune cells.

X-Vax believes that ΔgD-2 is more promising than other vaccines because it elicits distinct types of immune responses against HSV-1 and HSV-2, making ΔgD-2 more effective than other vaccines in clearing the virus and preventing latent viral infection.

HSV-2 surface contains a protein called glycoprotein D (gD), which is required for entry into host cells to exert its function and is essential for intercellular viral spread. If the gD gene is deleted from HSV-2 and the missing surface protein is complemented with HSV-1 gD protein, then upon vaccination and subsequent viral replication, the resulting virus cannot spread between cells because it lacks the gene encoding glycoprotein D.

HSV infection is a significant global health issue affecting individuals of all ages, with prevalence increasing with age, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Among US adults under the age of 50, 54% are infected with HSV-1 and 16% with HSV-2. The global prevalence of HSV varies by region; in certain parts of sub-Saharan Africa, HSV-2 infection rates reach as high as 80% among men and women aged 35 years and older.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation is a subsidiary of the Johnson & Johnson Group, primarily providing financing instruments such as early-stage research funding, seed capital, and equity investments. Additionally, it offers partners services including access to international markets, pricing and reimbursement support, market testing, and company formation.

Headquartered in Maharashtra, India, the Serum Institute of India was founded by Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla in 1966 with the mission of manufacturing life-saving immunobiologicals, making it India’s largest biotechnology company. It is estimated that approximately 65% of children worldwide receive at least one vaccine produced by the company. The vaccines manufactured by the institute are prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva and are used in national immunization programs in approximately 170 countries, saving millions of lives globally.

Alexandria Venture Investments, established in 1996, is the strategic venture capital arm of Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Alexandria Venture Investments focuses on investing in innovative and breakthrough discoveries in the fields of biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, research tools, agricultural technology, and technology. Leveraging its extensive experience and deep understanding of the life sciences and technology industries, long-standing relationships with leading investors, and a world-class international scientific advisory network, Alexandria Venture Investments provides funding to companies at the seed, early, and growth stages.

(Compiled by Cheng Tao)