Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic is licensing technology it created to develop new vaccines to biopharmaceutical company Tetherex Pharmaceuticals to commercialize, the organizations said July 6.
Five details:
1. The engineering process developed by Mayo, called a single-cycle adenovirus platform, works by amplifying the antigen protein that a vaccine delivers at the cellular level. The amplification then intensifies the protective immune response in individuals who get the vaccine, according to the Star Tribune.
2. The platform Tetherex is licensing also includes a COVID-19 vaccine currently being studied in Australia.
3. By making vaccines stronger, the platform could give patients more protective benefits per vaccine dose or let manufacturers stretch vaccine supplies, Michael Barry, PhD, director of the Vector and Vaccine Engineering Lab at Mayo Clinic, told the Star Tribune.
"You either need a lot less of our vaccine to get the same bang for the buck, or you could make a lot more vaccine at any one time," he said.
4. Mayo and Tetherex did not disclose financial terms of the licensing deal, but Tetherex said it negotiated a global license with the health system to develop and commercialize the technology, which will be used to target numerous infectious diseases.
5. Mayo said it will use any revenue it receives from the deal to support patient care, education and research.