Story of VaxAlta: Creating inexpensive glycoconjugate vaccines for livestock

Basic Timeline

• Provisional patent on C. jejuni vaccine 2013 - PCT application 2014 - issued now in most countries

• Dec 2013 VaxAlta incorporation

• Lecense agreement $with major pharma Dec 2014 along with first right of refusal</p></li><li><p>ALMA, IRAP, CPRC, AI grants to further develop C jejuni / C. perfringens vaccines</p></li><li><p>Testing and optimization of Cj N-glycan-based vaccine</p></li><li><p>Moved to UGA Complex Carbohydrate Research Center</p></li><li><p>Provsional patent on C. perfringens vaccine 2017 - PCT application 2018</p></li><li><p>VaxAlta moves into a new incubation facility at the University of Alverta, 2018/2024</p></li><li><p>License agreement$ with major pharma on Cp vaccine, April 2020

• License agreement $$ with major pharma on Cj human vaccine, Dec 2021

To date, no glycan based vaccines have been developed for the…

livestock industry

Who is on the board of VaxAlta?

• Christine M. Szymanski (Founder, CEO, Board member)

• Mario F. Feldman (Founder, Board member)

• Harald Nothaft (Chief Scientific and Chief Operating Officer Board Member)

• Cory Wenzel (CTO)

• Jole Garber (Research Scientist, Alberta Innovates Industry r&D Associate)

• Jason Ding (Board Member)

Received Funding Support from:

IRAP (Industrial Research Assistance Program, National Funding)

ALMA (Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Provincial Fundin)

Canadian Government (SR&ED) Tax Credit

Bacterial Glycan Pathways and Applications

• Improving Chicken Responses to Glycoconjugate Vaccination Against CJ

• An atypical lipoteichoic acid from C. perfringens elicits a broadly cross-reactive and protective immune response

Currently available vaccines

• Purified bacterial polysaccharides (S. pneumo)

• Dead cells (flu, chlorea, polio)

• Attenuated “live” cells (measles, rubella, mumps)

• Purified inactivated toxins (tetanus, diphtheria)

• Cellular components (protein subunit (Hep B)

• RNA-based vaccines (Sars-CoV-2 spike)

• Viral carrier vaccines (attenuated adenovirus with spike)

Glycoconjugate vacines

Bacterial polysaccharides are linked to a suitable carrier to elicit a longer lasting immune effect

Unique bacterial sugars attached/conjugated to proteins or lipids

• H. influenzae

• N meningitidis

• S. penumoniae

Advantages of Traditional glycoonjugate vaccines

High Yield

No genetic engineering of bacteria

Disadvantages of traditional glycoconjugate vaccines

• Use of pathogenic bacteria

• Multiple purification and chemical treatment steps

• Random chemical cross-linking

• Previously too expensive to manufacture for use in livestock

Development of glycoconjugate vaccines

Dr. Harry Jennings, a carbohydrate chemist developed Meningitis-C vaccines

C. jejuni is a significant ______ pathogen

foodborne

C. jejuni induces _________

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Autoimmune breakdown through ganglioside-mimicking LOS

WHO priority pathogen

Priority 2 for fluroquinolone resistance

The sugars around the Campylobacter jejuni cell envelope are all ______

phase-variable except the N-glycans

How do we prevent C. jejuni infection from food poisoning? Step 1

reduce at the source - vaccinate the chickens

Chickens outnumber humans ___________

three to one

For livestock industries that want to remain competitive in a changing world, VaxAlta delivers safe, sugar-based, effective, afforable, and easy to ______

administer livestock vaccines that eliminate the use of antibiots, helping to improve animal quality of life and to produce better and safer foods

Vaccine production strategy for poultry:

Cell surface display technology

• Take the N-glycan and place on E. coli (which is cost effective and easy to administer)

Vaccine strategy for poultry

Knockout Wzzy and PglB (the adding agents for the O-antigen on lipid A) and replace with N-glycan

The Campylobacter N-glycan based vaccine

• Significantly reduces CJ colonization in leghorn and broiler birds

• Structure and vaccine formulation are IP protected

• Inexpensive to produce, easy to administer

• Induces an N-glycan specific immune response

• Is self-limiting

• Does not effect weight gain

• Does not result in a resistant C. jejuni population

• Does not affect the microbiota of the animal - but microbiota may have role in vaccine efficacy

VaxNewMo new Name

Omniose

Omniose science

PglS the only glucose accepting conjugating enzyme - generating polyvalent pneumococcal bioconjugate vaccine now possible