$749,000 Contract Awarded for Next Generation RNA Vaccine Production

HDT Bio Corp. today announced that it has partnered with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under Project NextGen's Enabler's program. 

Through this BARDA partnership, HDT Bio has received a $749,000 contract, supporting proof-of-concept studies for on-demand manufacturing and release processes that use HDT Bio's LION™ formulation for RNA vaccine production.

These studies will provide proof-of-concept data on the LION platform in support of on-demand manufacturing and release processes that enable rapid production of 1000 repRNA vaccine doses in seven days.

LION is a proprietary nanoemulsion tailored for RNA-based vaccines and therapeutics production designed to enable facile formulation and faster manufacturing compared to the characteristics of standard lipid nanoparticles used in existing vaccine products. 

"We look forward to contributing to the broader access to treatment and prevention strategies of future infectious diseases," commented Steven Reed, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of HDT Bio, in a press release on January 23, 204.

With an initial investment of $5 billion, Project NextGen intends to accelerate and streamline the development of the next generation of vaccines and treatments through public-private collaborations.

The Project NextGen Enabler's program aims to advance next-generation vaccine and therapeutics technologies, including the development of innovative cGMP manufacturing of vaccines that decrease costs, speed production, increase efficacy, and improve access.

Previous BARDA - Project NextGen awards include, but are not limited to, $8.5 million to CastleVax for a vector-based intranasal vaccine candidate, $10 million to Gritstone Bio for a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine candidate, and $9.27 million to Vaxart's evaluation of its oral pill XBB COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Project NextGen is separated from the Disease X initiative.