Imagine trying to find a needle in a haystack, where the needle is the exact part of a bacteria that the immune system can recognize. This project uses a high-tech 'metal detector' (mass spectrometry and AI) to find those targets much faster. Once found, they use mRNA technology—similar to the COVID-19 shots—to teach the body how to fight stubborn bacteria like Tuberculosis.
Current bacterial vaccines fail because we lack known antigens and cannot trigger strong cellular immune responses. This is critical for treating antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria that hide inside cells.
An automated immunopeptidomics pipeline using timsTOF mass spectrometry and AI tools to identify bacterial epitopes. They also developed GMP-compliant mRNA vaccine formulations with innovative adjuvants.
If you are a vaccine developer dealing with the difficulty of finding antigens for intracellular bacteria — this project developed an immunopeptidomics pipeline that reduces input material requirements 10- to 50-fold. This allows for faster identification of targets for mRNA vaccines against pathogens like Acinetobacter baumannii.
If you are an mRNA platform provider dealing with low cellular immune responses in bacterial vaccines — this project developed innovative adjuvants and lipid nanoparticles to strengthen adaptive immunity. This enables the creation of vaccines that trigger both humoral and cellular responses.
If you are a local manufacturer dealing with high costs and stability issues for tropical disease vaccines — this project developed low-cost production methods and GMP standards for mRNA vaccines. This facilitates the local production of vaccines for neglected diseases like Buruli ulcer.
Based on available project data, specific costs are not provided, but the project is pursuing low-cost production methods to enable local manufacturing.
Yes, the project specifies that vaccine production will be conducted according to GMP standards to ensure industrial viability.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, though the consortium includes 3 industry partners and 3 SMEs.
The project runs from 2023-07-01 to 2028-06-30, with a lead candidate for Tuberculosis planned for a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial.
The pipeline is optimized for timsTOF mass spectrometers and utilizes AI-powered tools for data acquisition.
The consortium is well-balanced for translation, consisting of 11 partners across 6 countries. With a 27% industry ratio (including 3 SMEs), there is a strong bridge between the 5 universities and 2 research centers and the commercial market, ensuring that the GMP production and clinical trial goals are grounded in industrial reality.
Contact VIB VZW in Belgium for partnership opportunities regarding the immunopeptidomics pipeline.
Contact us to connect with the BAXERNA 2.0 consortium for licensing the AI-powered screening tools.
