Evaxion Biotech announces conclusion of studies on EVX-B1 vaccine candidate

Evaxion Biotech announces the successful conclusion of a series of large non-rodent animal infection studies, testing antigens from Evaxion’s preclinical EVX-B1 vaccine candidate against Staphylococcus aureus. In the animal studies, the EVX-B1 antigens significantly reduced disease burden. Currently, the two companies are engaged in discussions regarding the path forward. Birgitte Rono, Chief Scientific Officer at Evaxion, expresses enthusiasm: “We are very thrilled about the encouraging data and believe that our EVX-B1 vaccine antigens hold the potential for efficacy in human trials – a milestone that previous vaccine attempts have failed to achieve.” Three separate studies in large, non-rodent animals were conducted with the following conclusions: The EVX-B1 vaccine antigens significantly reduced S. aureus bacterial burden in a surgical site infection model; Induction of meaningful antigen-specific antibody titers in all vaccinated animals; The ability of the antigens to induce a protective immune response in the animals when being colonized with S. aureus mimicking the human situation; Ability of the immune blood to neutralize clinically relevant S. aureus in a whole blood killing assay, holding promise for translational assay readout in early clinical development