A prospective vaccine against infection from the Nipah virus moved closer to clinical development on 21 March with the award of $13.38 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The new grant follows $3.6 million in funding in 2023, bringing total cash available to $16.98. CEPI, a public-private partnership, is working with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd of India and the US-based Houston Methodist Research Institute on the project, which will deliver a self-amplifying messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine to the market.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus which is passed from animals to humans. It can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. Fruit bats are the natural hosts of the virus which can lead to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently no drugs or vaccines to treat the disease, leading to its classification as a priority for research and development. The first outbreak of Nipah virus infection was identified in 1999 in Malaysia and since then, the disease has spread to other countries in Asia and to Ghana in Africa.
To date, CEPI has invested more than $100 million in Nipah programmes. The project with Gennova will use self-amplifying mRNA as the foundational technology, coupled with artificial intelligence to refine proteins derived from the virus that might serve as vaccine targets. Self-amplifying mRNA are mRNA molecules that have been engineered to make copies of themselves inside the cell. This reportedly allows a lower dose of the therapy.
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