LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase II: NIAID

Description

Developing safe and effective preventives for HIV remains the hope for controlling the global AIDS epidemicRecentlymRNA vaccines have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches because of their high potencycapacity for rapid developmentpotential for low cost manufactureTo datethere is no effective mRNA protective vaccine for HIVand the need for one is vastDespite the advantages of mRNA vaccineschallenges remainincluding how to protect mRNA from degradationincrease the short in vivo half lifeand ensure uptake by cells and efficient expression in the cytoplasmAs a resultthere is a necessity to formulate mRNA vaccines with novel and effective delivery systems to overcome these obstacles and provide functional vaccinationLuna is developing a novel and effective carbon nanotube based mRNA delivery platform for HIV vaccineThis is the first reported mRNA encoding HIVglycoprotein as a novel mRNA vaccine candidateMost importantlyLuna s CNTVac mRNA candidates have demonstrated generation of potent and specific HIV neutralizing antibody IgG and IgA titers in mice after subcutaneous injectionLuna is working on the preclincal studies including immunogenicityefficacy and safety studies in the Phase II program in preparation for filing an IND to prevent HIV infections