Novel HIV-1 vaccine candidates invented at Scripps Research to enter phase 1 clinical trial
Following approval from Australia’s HREC, the clinical trial investigating UVAX-1107 and UXAX-1197 will initiate in January 2024.
December 20, 2023
LA JOLLA, CA—Two HIV-1 vaccine candidates initially invented at Scripps Research and subsequently licensed to Uvax Bio, LLC, have received acknowledgement from the Australian Therapeutic Good Administration and approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) to enter a phase 1 clinical trial in January 2024. These vaccine candidates, UVAX-1107 and UVAX-1197, were designed in the lab of Jiang Zhu, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, and they are currently being developed by Uvax Bio.
The two candidates use tiny, virus-like protein “nanoparticles” to display multiple copies of HIV’s surface protein, Env. Both vaccine candidates utilize a proprietary platform technology developed by Zhu, which displays multiple copies of a viral protein on self-assembling nanoparticles to elicit an immune response. The study will investigate whether either vaccine or the combination of both produces the optimal immunological response to the virus, with primary endpoints directed to demonstrations of safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of UVAX-1197 and UVAX-1107.
“HIV-1 continues to affect millions of people around the world—a number that continues to grow with each passing year,” says Zhu. “Receiving approval from the HREC marks a significant milestone allowing Uvax Bio to advance its nanoparticle vaccine technology into clinical testing.”
Preclinical study results suggest that Dr. Zhu’s research is a promising addition to Scripps Research's efforts to combat HIV-1, which remains a devastating global health challenge. The World Health Organization estimates there were 39 million people living with the virus by the end of 2022, and approximately 1.5 million people become newly infected with HIV in 2021 alone. While there is still no cure for the infection, a safe and effective vaccine could hold the potential to eliminate this devastating virus in both developed and developing countries.
About Scripps Research
Scripps Research is an independent, nonprofit biomedical institute ranked one of the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation by Nature Index. We are advancing human health through profound discoveries that address pressing medical concerns around the globe. Our drug discovery and development division, Calibr, works hand-in-hand with scientists across disciplines to bring new medicines to patients as quickly and efficiently as possible, while teams at Scripps Research Translational Institute harness genomics, digital medicine and cutting-edge informatics to understand individual health and render more effective healthcare. Scripps Research also trains the next generation of leading scientists at our Skaggs Graduate School, consistently named among the top 10 US programs for chemistry and biological sciences. Learn more at www.scripps.edu.
About Uvax Bio
Uvax Bio, LLC, a spin-off vaccine company from Scripps Research, employs proprietary 1c-SApNP® platform technology invented by Dr. Jiang Zhu, an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at Scripps Research, to develop and commercialize prophylactic vaccines for challenging infectious diseases. Uvax Bio holds the exclusive worldwide rights to the 1c-SApNP® platform and an expanding portfolio of 12 patented preclinical vaccine candidates. In addition to the leading candidates in HIV.
For more information, contact press@scripps.edu