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Development of a thermostable rotavirus vaccine for mucosal delivery withoutneed for reconstitution - Phase II

Award Number: R44AI118009
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/10/2015
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2021

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Development of a thermostable rotavirus vaccine for mucosal delivery withoutneed for reconstitution - Phase II - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Rotavirus (RV) is responsible for an estimated 500,000 deaths each year from severe diarrhea, mostly in children in developing countries. Currently only two RV vaccines are broadly available, and are delivered by liquid drops (either directly or after reconstitution) to infants between 6-14 weeks of age. Both vaccines are labile at ambient temperatures and so bound by the cold chain, as well as being sensitive to freezing because of their liquid components. A drawback of liquid delivery to babies is the potential for spitting out the vaccine, which increases the risk of under-vaccination. Also, aside from leaving babies unprotected from RV during the crucial first months of life, the protocol of vaccinating only after 6 weeks old has been found to lead to greater rates of vaccine-associated intussusception – a potentially fatal bowel blockage. Furthermore, the cost of these vaccines is often prohibitively high for introduction in the poorest countries, which have the highest rates and burden of RV gastroenteritis. Thus there is an urgent need to develop a cost-effective thermostable rotavirus vaccine for liquid-free administration during the neonatal time period. International Medica Foundation (IMF) has world-wide license for a low-cost liquid RV vaccine, RRV-TV, and has designed an improved neonatal administration protocol which data indicates will reduce the rate of intussusception. This vaccine was developed as a public-private partnership project and has finished Phase II clinical trials in Ghana, and will seek WHO Prequalification for supply to UN agencies in the near future. UST’s patented Preservation by Vaporization (PBV) stabilization technology and techniques for producing polymeric films containing PBV-dried biologicals enable buccal vaccine delivery in the dry film format. In Phase I studies with RV vaccine, UST has proven that PBV-dried vaccine in polymeric film retains high activity and long-term stability for ≥2 months at 37°C and 5 months at 25°C. The application of these technologies for use with RRV-TV will decreased the cost of vaccine implementation due to the low-priced raw vaccine material, enhanced manufacturing yields possible with PBV, and refrigeration-free distribution and storage. The final product will be a thermostable RV vaccine in a mucoadhesive dissolvable polymeric film for liquid-free administration to the buccal or sublingual surfaces, to provide simpler, more accurate dosing to neonates. The specific objectives of this Phase II project are 1) Application of PBV protocols developed during Phase I to tetravalent RRV-TV vaccine 2) Optimization of film production protocols to incorporate PBV RRV-TV vaccine and antacids, and 3) demonstrate film suitability and safety in vitro as well as in vivo using hamsters and rats, and in vivo vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy against challenge in a gnotobiotic piglet model. The long-term goal is to generate a dissolvable mucoadhesive polymeric film that contains thermostable RRV-TV rotavirus vaccine for simple oral mucosal delivery to neonates which has low cost of manufacture, store and ship and is immunogenic, safe and protective.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2021	2018	UNIVERSAL STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.	4050 SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD STE L	SAN DIEGO	CA	92121	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	6/16/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2020	2018	UNIVERSAL STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.	4050 SORRENTO BLVD STE L	SAN DIEGO	CA	92121	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	3/2/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2019	2018	UNIVERSAL STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC	4050 SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD L	SAN DIEGO	CA	92121	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	6/18/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2019	2017	UNIVERSAL STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC	4050 SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD L	SAN DIEGO	CA	92121	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	2	9/6/2019	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $815,746 )
2018	2018	UNIVERSAL STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC	4050 SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD L	SAN DIEGO	CA	92121	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	1/22/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$815,746
														Subtotal = $815,746

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $454,871 )
2017	2017	UNIVERSAL STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC	4050 SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD L	SAN DIEGO	CA	92121	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	2/8/2017	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$454,871
														Subtotal = $454,871

Grand Total All Awards = $1,270,617

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Development of a thermostable rotavirus vaccine for mucosal delivery withoutneed for reconstitution - Phase II

Award Number: R44AI118009

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/10/2015

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2021

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