On Apr. 28, 2020, Entos Pharmaceuticals announced a collaboration with EpiVax, a world leading informatics and immunology biotechnology company with a proven track record in vaccine development.

This partnership will combine the Entos Fusogenix DNA delivery technology with optimized COVID-19 epitopes from EpiVax to generate a highly effective immune response against the novel coronavirus, while ensuring a high degree of safety. Unlike traditional vaccines, a Fusogenix DNA-based vaccine encodes the virus proteins in a DNA plasmid that is then delivered into the patient’s own cells by direct fusion. The patient’s cells then produce the viral proteins that the body recognizes as foreign, and a potent immune response is mounted. This response will create long-term immunity against infection from viruses such as SARS-COV-2.

The Fusogenix platform has undergone extensive pre-clinical toxicity and efficacy studies in animal models, and has been validated as a best-in-class intracellular delivery platform for DNA. The successful outcome of this project will be an approved COVID-19 DNA vaccine that will provide broad-based protection against coronaviruses and also a potent cell-based activity that will mitigate active COVID-19 infections. Vaccination of the at-risk population in Canada and internationally will dramatically reduce the continued spread and mortality of this dangerous virus. In contrast to traditional vaccines, DNA-based vaccines can be rapidly manufactured and easily scaled, which drastically reduces the time to market.