Gates Grants $3,800,000 to Develop Ready-to-Use mRNA RSV Vaccine

Immorna Biotherapeutics Inc. today announced that it has received a $3.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the clinical development of JCXH-108.

JCXH-108 is a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) monovalent vaccine candidate based on Immorna’s proprietary mRNA and ‘Ready-to-Use’ lipid nanoparticle technologies.

Available data suggest that the mRNA-RTU-LNP vaccine can achieve approximately 18 months of shelf-life at 2-8 °C, over two months of stability at room temperature, and at least 8 hours of in-use stability in the clinical setting. The enhanced stability is expected to significantly reduce the logistics complexity associated with mRNA vaccine storage, transportation, and distribution, hence enhancing this mRNA vaccine's accessibility.

The grant provides staged financial support to expedite JCXH-108’s clinical trials and clinical development of the multi-dose vial vaccine, the marketing application in the U.S., and the World Health Organization Pre-Qualification.

Dr. Zihao Wang, Co-Founder and CEO of Immorna, commented in a press release on August 26, 2024, “I believe that, if successfully approved for marketing, JCXH-108 may help protect millions of susceptible individuals and their families from the deadly diseases associated with RSV infection, which is particularly meaningful .... where RSV infection is prevalent."

"We are on track to enroll the first subject for our clinical trial by the end of August 2024."

As of August 2024, the U.S. CDC has approved three RSV vaccines and one monoclonal antibody. These products are available at clinics and pharmacies for the RSV 2024-2025 season.