The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced a grant of up to $42 million to the University of Cambridge to fund the development of a vaccine candidate that could provide protection against both existing and future variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Announced during the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit co-hosted by CEPI and the UK government, the investment will support the development of an mRNA vaccine. DIOSynVax, led by Jonathan Heeney, who heads the university’s laboratory of Viral Zoonotics, will design and select the lead antigen through proof-of-concept preclinical studies and undertake initial clinical development through Phase I/II studies. DIOSynVax uses the combination of protein structure, computational biology, and immune-optimization to maximize the protection that vaccines can provide against existing and future virus outbreaks. The DIOSynVax pipeline includes vaccine candidates for hemorrhagic fever viruses, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2, and its vaccine candidates can be deployed in a variety of vaccine delivery and manufacturing platforms.

“I am excited to further strengthen CEPI’s strong ties to British science through this partnership with DIOSynVax to develop a vaccine with the potential to protect against variants of SARS-CoV-2 and other Betacoronaviruses in the future,” said CEPI chief executive Richard Hatchett. “Coronaviruses have now proven their pandemic potential, so it’s imperative for global health security that we invest in R&D now to future-proof the world against the threat of coronaviruses.

“We are excited to be working with CEPI on its ground-breaking mission to leverage revolutionary science and technology to maneuver and minimize future pandemic threats,” said Heeney, a fellow at Cambridge’s Darwin College. “Our approach is to be ahead of the next pandemic--to deliver custom designed, immune selected vaccine antigens—which is ideal to prevent diseases caused by complex viruses such as the large and diverse family of coronaviruses. If successful, it will result in a safe, affordable NextGen vaccine for widespread use.”

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