Nosocomial Vaccine Corporation Announces Presentation on Multivalent Vaccine for Gram-Negative Pathogens, including Multiple Antibiotic-Resistant Strains at World Vaccine Conference

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 3, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nosocomial Vaccine Corporation (NVC), a company accelerating research and development of vaccines against nosocomial infections including those with multiple antibiotic resistance, announced that research describing a novel, multivalent vaccine for gram-negative bacterial pathogens will be presented today at the World Vaccine Conference in Washington, D.C. Currently, there are no vaccines available for the major nosocomial pathogens including organisms responsible for the majority of highly antibiotic resistant bacteria which are recognized as a significant health threat.

"The dramatic worldwide increase in antimicrobial resistance among human bacterial pathogens has left clinicians with dwindling therapeutic options," said Alan Cross, M.D., Professor at the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).  "With few new antibiotics in the pipeline, vaccines offer the potential to prevent or ameliorate infections with these bacteria and are not subject to the resistance or evasion mechanisms associated with antimicrobial resistance."

The research was conducted as a collaboration of NVC, Affinivax and CVD.  The collaboration uses Affinivax's proprietary Multiple Antigen Presentation System (MAPS) to develop vaccines that prevent bacterial nosocomial infections, also known as healthcare associated infections (HAI).

The presentation by Raphael Simon, Ph.D. Assistant Professor with CVD, will describe development of a novel polyvalent vaccine directed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, two of the most important HAI pathogens. Immunized rabbits produced robust responses to all vaccine components and passive protection in in vivo murine models of infections was demonstrated.  

"This vaccine holds promise for protection from pathogens that are increasingly deadly in health-care associated settings," said George Siber, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, NVC. "In addition, the vaccine may combat the growing public health threat of increased incidence of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections by reducing the transmission of these pathogens."

About Nosocomial Vaccine Corporation:
Nosocomial Vaccine Corporation (NVC) was established in 2015 by ClearPath Development Company to accelerate research and development of vaccines against nosocomial infections including those with multiple antibiotic resistance. NVC has initiated research collaborations with two partners to develop a nosocomial vaccine; Affinivax Inc. (Cambridge MA); and the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD).  http://www.clearpathdevco.com/

About Affinivax:
Affinivax is advancing a next generation vaccine technology platform to enable the development of vaccines that provide the highest level of protection against challenging infectious diseases.  Backed by an investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and working with world experts in vaccine discovery and development, Affinivax is focused on creating a pipeline of vaccines for children and adults in both the developed and developing worlds.  The company's proprietary vaccine platform, called Multiple Antigen Presentation System (MAPS), enables the high affinity binding of protective polysaccharides and proteins in a single vaccine and uniquely induces a broad and protective immune response. The MAPS technology provides a highly stable, modular, and efficient approach to develop vaccines against a wide range of diseases.  The company has achieved preliminary preclinical proof-of-concept for several MAPS vaccines and is currently advancing its lead vaccine candidate against Streptococcus pneumoniae. For more information, visit www.affinivax.com.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine:
The University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 and is the first public medical school in the United States and continues today as an innovative leader in accelerating innovation and discovery in medicine.  The School of Medicine is the founding school of the University of Maryland and is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. Located on the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of medicine works closely with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide a research-intensive, academic and clinically based education. With 43 academic departments, centers and institutes and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians and research scientists plus more than $400 million in extramural funding, the School is regarded as one of the leading biomedical research institutions in the U.S. with top-tier faculty and programs in cancer, brain science, surgery and transplantation, trauma and emergency medicine, vaccine development and human genomics, among other centers of excellence.  The School is not only concerned with the health of the citizens of Maryland and the nation, but also has a global presence, with research and treatment facilities in more than 35 countries around the world. http://medschool.umaryland.edu/

SOURCE Nosocomial Vaccine Corporation