ImmuneRegen’s Adjuvant to Be Tested with the Biodesign Institute’s Vaccine against Norwalk Viruses

[Source: GEN News Highlights] - The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) will help ImmuneRegen® BioSciences assess Viprovex® as an adjuvant to plant-derived vaccines against noroviruses, or Norwalk-like viruses.

Biodesign Institute's center for infectious diseases and vaccinology (CIDV) will use engineered tobacco plants to produce high levels of Norwalk-virus capsid protein (NVCP), which is the antigen used to elicit an immune response during vaccination. Viprovex will be administered in conjunction with NVCP to assess if the molecule enhances the immune response in mice.

“The ability of Viprovex' active ingredient, Sar9, Met (O2)11-Substance P, to generate not only antibody-mediated responses but also support cellular responses via activation of specific immune cells gives us strong reason to expect adjuvant activity when coupled with vaccines such as those being developed by the Biodesign Institute,” says Hal Siegel, Ph.D., of ImmuneRegen.

Plant-derived vaccines serve as an efficient and cost-effective alternative to producing large amounts of protein for recombinant vaccines, according to the companies.