Stabilitech inks vaccine stabilisation deal with US military
Having inked a $4m (€3.2m) deal Stabilitech will apply its technology to adenovirus vectored and adjuvanted vaccines. Stabilitech hopes showing the applicability of its stabilisation technology to two very different vaccines will demonstrate proof-of-concept and lead to further contracts.
Barbara Domayne-Hayman, CEO of UK-based Stabilitech, told in-PharmaTechnologist that the technology has a number of applications within the military. For instance, vaccines transported by air are sometimes left on runways in inhospitable environments before reentering the cold chain.
This change from cold to hot to cold can affect the stability of vaccines, decreasing their shelf-life and efficacy. By using excipients Stabilitech can increase a vaccine’s tolerance to these changes in temperature.
Domayne-Hayman said Stabilitech routinely takes vaccines from frozen to +37 degrees Celsius and back again, and has had success at higher temperatures. The technology also allows vaccines to be stored at ambient temperatures, making stockpiling easier and cheaper.
Successful completion of the three-year deal with the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) could generate $4m for Stabilitech. In the longer-term, successful completion of the contract could lead to further contracts with the US military and other governmental agencies.
Stabilitech has also been awarded a grant of up to £120,000 by the UK Technology Strategy Board to apply its technology to the storage and use of diagnostics. This expands Stabilitech into diagnostics while building upon antibody stabilisation work it has performed.
Industrial applications
Stabilitech has also signed seven feasibility studies, covering a wide range of areas, with commercial partners, said Domayne-Hayman. This is a step towards commercialisation of the technology and licensing deals which can generate revenues for Stabilitech.
Testing its technology Stabilitech has found that through customisation it can be applied to a wide range of vaccines and antibodies. Stabilitech hopes demonstrating this versatility in existing and future feasibility studies will generate business.
