BioVaxys Technology Corp. is positioning its DPX™ immune-educating platform as a safer alternative to lipid nanoparticles for mRNA vaccine delivery, addressing key limitations that have emerged with current mRNA vaccine technologies. The Vancouver-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company announced its focus on developing DPX-mRNA formulations to capture opportunities in the rapidly expanding mRNA vaccine market, projected to reach $48 billion by 2030.
Addressing Lipid Nanoparticle Limitations
Current mRNA vaccines rely on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for delivery, but these systems face significant challenges that limit their broader application. LNPs possess immunostimulatory properties and can spill out of injection sites, leading to systemic inflammatory responses and adverse reactions. The particles also face rapid degradation by nucleases, macrophage phagocytosis removal, and renal filtration clearance due to their relatively short half-life and instability under in vivo conditions.
"While these adverse reactions may be considered acceptable for a limited number of doses during a pandemic, a safer platform that allows multiple doses over a lifetime is desirable for the extension of mRNA vaccine applications to other applications," according to the company's announcement.
DPX Platform Demonstrates Superior Performance
BioVaxys' patented DPX technology can incorporate various bioactive molecules, including mRNA/polynucleotides, peptides/proteins, virus-like particles, and small molecules, to produce targeted, long-lasting immune responses. The platform facilitates antigen delivery to regional lymph nodes and has demonstrated the ability to induce robust and durable T cell and B cell responses in both preclinical and clinical studies.
Proof-of-concept studies conducted in collaboration with RNA technology company Etherna and PCI Biotech revealed several advantages of the DPX platform over traditional LNP systems. The studies demonstrated that DPX provides enhanced in vitro and in vivo stability of packaged mRNA, with shelf-life integrity maintained for over 14 days. Additionally, DPX attracts a therapeutically unique subset of antigen-presenting cells to the injection site for targeted mRNA uptake by the immune system.
Localized Delivery Reduces Systemic Effects
A key differentiator of the DPX platform is its localized delivery mechanism. Unlike LNPs that can spill from injection sites, DPX remains localized and does not cause systemic spillover. This characteristic potentially addresses one of the primary concerns with current mRNA vaccines - the systemic inflammatory responses that contribute to adverse reactions.
The platform has been shown to recruit and activate unique subsets of antigen-presenting cells to drive immunogenicity of antigens, exhibiting superior immune activation compared to aqueous and emulsion-based antigen delivery systems. Immunization with DPX containing mRNA induced specific immune responses toward encoded antigens in the collaborative studies.
Commercial Strategy and Market Position
BioVaxys President and Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Kovan emphasized the platform's commercial potential, stating, "The DPX platform is essentially a 'pipeline from a product' and will play a significant commercial role for the Company as an enabling technology for delivering nucleic acids and other antigens. DPX is ideal for mRNA delivery, as it remains localized and does not spill out from the injection site and has superior stability than LNPs. With better manufacturing economics than LNPs, it is generating interest from potential partners in the mRNA vaccine field."
The company is actively pursuing collaborations with companies and academic institutions that possess pipelines of promising tumor and virus-specific polynucleotide antigens. BioVaxys holds several issued patents related to DPX-mRNA formulations, providing intellectual property protection for its technology platform.
Existing Clinical Pipeline
Beyond mRNA applications, BioVaxys maintains an active clinical pipeline based on its DPX platform. The company's lead candidate, maveropepimut-S (MVP-S), is currently in Phase IIB clinical development for advanced relapsed-refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. MVP-S delivers antigenic peptides from survivin, a cancer antigen commonly overexpressed in advanced cancers, along with an innate immune activator and universal CD4 T cell helper peptide.
The company is also developing DPX™+SurMAGE, a dual-targeted immunotherapy combining antigenic peptides for both survivin and MAGE-A9 cancer proteins, DPX™-RSV for respiratory syncytial virus, and DPX+rPA for peanut allergy prophylaxis.
