AdJane Unveils Mucosal Boosting Strategy for Respiratory Vaccines

AdJane Biosciences, a clinical-stage next-generation vaccine platform company, has unveiled a new strategy that could significantly enhance the effectiveness of existing respiratory vaccines. The company's latest White Paper, titled "Boosting mRNA: Mucosal Immunity and a Platform Beyond It," outlines a novel approach to complement intramuscular vaccines with an intranasal booster to boost mucosal immunity.

According to Anita Gashi, CEO of AdJane Biosciences, the strategy aims to build on the systemic immunity established by established respiratory vaccines. "Respiratory vaccine innovation can start from what already works: vaccines that protect millions of people," said Gashi. "By adding an intranasal Nm-nOMV booster to established intramuscular vaccines, we aim to induce complementary immunity at the site of infection and enable next-generation vaccination regimens with a proprietary mucosal component."

The Nm-nOMV platform, which AdJane Biosciences has been developing, has demonstrated its ability to induce both systemic and mucosal immunity. The company's recently completed Phase I study showed that subsequent intranasal administration of an Nm-nOMV vaccine displaying SARS-CoV-2 Spike in a post-hoc identified subset of participants who had previously received Pfizer and/or Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines was well tolerated and induced significant nasal IgA responses. These observations provide initial human evidence supporting the concept of heterologous systemic priming followed by intranasal Nm-nOMV boosting.

AdJane's strategy is designed to work alongside existing respiratory vaccines, offering a path for vaccine developers to retain the benefits, infrastructure, and broad coverage of established respiratory vaccines while developing next-generation vaccination regimens that add a proprietary mucosal component. The approach could be applicable to a range of respiratory diseases, including influenza, RSV, and future pandemic preparedness.

The company's intellectual property portfolio around its Nm-nOMV platform is broad, including protection relating to the platform, manufacturing, mucosal dosing, and specific vaccine applications. AdJane has also filed separate patent applications covering combinations of OMV technology with mRNA vaccines and respiratory vaccines, further bolstering its position in the vaccine development landscape.

AdJane Biosciences is confident that this mucosal booster concept could represent a significant advancement in respiratory vaccine development. "The mucosal booster concept represents one application of AdJane's broader Nm-nOMV platform," said Gashi. "The platform builds on more than 30 years of Dutch vaccine research and has been clinically validated in a Phase 1 clinical trial, in which safety, tolerability, and mucosal immunogenicity were demonstrated."

While the initial clinical observations relate to individuals previously primed with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, the White Paper explores the broader potential of the approach, noting that limited mucosal immunity is not unique to mRNA vaccination and is a feature of many intramuscular respiratory vaccination strategies. Subject to further development and clinical validation, potential applications could therefore extend across multiple respiratory diseases and future pandemic preparedness.

AdJane Biosciences remains committed to advancing the development of its Nm-nOMV platform and exploring new applications for mucosal immunity in the realm of vaccine development. The company believes this strategy could ultimately offer vaccine developers a new way to enhance existing respiratory vaccines and shape next-generation vaccination regimens.