Viravaxx AG and the Medical University of Vienna develop an integrated platform for immune diagnosis and vaccination for COVID-19

Vienna, April 9, 2020:  Viravaxx and the Medical University of Vienna develop an integrated platform for immune diagnosis and vaccination of Covid-19. Based on our novel Si/SiO2 microchip technology platform, a microarray is created, on which  the structural proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in glycosylated and non-glycosylated form are represented as well as certain relevant fragments of the proteins and a library of overlapping peptides covering the structural virus proteins. This microarray allows high resolution mapping of antigenic determinants, which elicit an immune response following infection with the virus.

Furthermore, an ELISA assay is established, with which the interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with its receptor ACE2 can be analyzed. In a clinical study, which has already received provisional ethics approval, sera from convalescent Covid-19 patients will be tested for virus neutralization capacity and epitope mapping. 200 patients each with mild and 200 patients with severe course of the disease will be enrolled and compared to 200 healthy controls.

From correlation of these data and pseudonymized clinical records using machine learning algorithms, antibody signatures will be derived. Based on these antibody signatures and the identification of epitopes eliciting a virus neutralizing immune response, the design of vaccine candidates will be enabled using our proprietary Peptide-Carrier-Fusion platform.  These vaccines will be tested for immunogenicity in animal models, and the immune response will be analyzed with our microarray and the neutralization ELISA. These vaccines will then be moved to clinical testing in the shortest possible timeframe.

Rainer Henning, Viravaxx’ CEO commented: “In the current devastating Covid-19 pandemic, two major demands are one everybody’s mind. First, there is a dire need for serological assays which effectively identify protective immunity, so people who are immune can get back to work and social interactions. Second, a potent vaccine is required, which reliably confers lasting immunity, so vaccinated people will be protected from future waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections. We at Viravaxx work to answer these demands with our integrated platform. We are very keen to help people around the world to get their normal life back.”