The threat of infectious disease outbreaks poses a significant challenge to global public health and the economy. To effectively combat this issue, the development of vaccines that are rapidly produced, inexpensive, and available in large quantities for easy distribution and administration is crucial. Oral vaccines, known for their ease of use and effectiveness in mucosal immunization, are often the preferred method. However, for oral vaccines to be effective, they must remain intact while passing through the gastrointestinal tract. This hurdle can be overcome by bio-encapsulating the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in microbial cells.
Wageningen University and Research (WUR) has successfully developed a vaccine production platform that meets these requirements, utilizing microalgae as an optimal delivery system for oral vaccines. Past genetic engineering approaches have failed to generate microalgae capable of producing sufficient API to trigger an immune response. WUR’s innovative technology overcomes this obstacle by producing microalgae that can accumulate up to 10% API per total protein, a remarkable improvement over previous methods.
Movax Bio will leverage this groundbreaking technology to develop the next generation of oral vaccines using microalgae. This research signifies a major breakthrough in vaccine production, particularly for developing countries, as it paves the way for cost-effective, easily distributed, and administered oral vaccines.