World News | US' HDT Bio Corp. Begins Phase I/II Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine in India

Washington, May 7 (PTI) US-based biopharmaceutical company HDT Bio Corp., a developer of immunotherapies for oncology and infectious diseases, has announced to begin Phase I/II trial of its COVID-19 vaccine in India.

The Phase I/II trial of the vaccine developed by HDT Bio in partnership with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals in India is expected to be an affordable one as compared to the existing vaccines in the west.

"This trial is a major milestone for Gennova and for us,” HDT Bio CEO Steve Reed said on Wednesday.

An important part of the company's mission is establishing value-sharing partnerships with drug firms in historically underserved countries, he said.

"Our goal is to empower our partners to produce and distribute innovative medicines at affordable prices,” Reed said.

HDT Bio's innovative vaccine uses a proprietary Lipid InOrganic Nanoparticle (LION) formulation to deliver immune-stimulating RNA fragments to targeted cells, a media release said.

The company said its vaccine is significantly different from current mRNA vaccines in two ways. First, its RNA payload is designed to amplify itself inside the body. As a result, the vaccine effectively activates the immune system at a much lower dose than current vaccines, enhancing safety and reducing manufacturing costs.

Second, the LION delivery vehicle and the RNA payload are manufactured separately. When the two are subsequently mixed, the RNA attaches to the outside of the LION system rather than becoming encapsulated within it, simplifying manufacture and enhancing stability.

In July 2020, HDT Bio and Gennova formed a partnership to co-develop the COVID-19 vaccine. As part of the deal, Gennova received rights to market the vaccine in India. In return, Gennova agreed to provide doses for use in US clinical development and to improve the scalability of the LION technology, the release said.

Clinical trials of HDT Bio's COVID-19 vaccine are expected to begin this year in the US and Brazil. HDT Bio received an USD 8.2 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health to accelerate the vaccine's development.

HDT Bio has also raised USD 6 million in a seed round financing led by Zoic Capital.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)