Evaxion Unveils Preclinical Data for AI-Designed CMV Vaccine Candidate EVX-V1 Featuring Novel Antigens
核心洞察
Evaxion's AI-Immunology™ platform identified entirely novel CMV antigens that induce specific immune responses and inhibit viral infection in preclinical models.
EVX-V1 combines these novel antigens with an AI-optimized pre-fusion glycoprotein B (搜索) antigen demonstrating superior CMV neutralization versus traditional gB.
No CMV vaccine has been approved to date despite the virus infecting 60–70% of adults in developed countries and nearly 100% in developing economies.
Evaxion A/S (搜索) has presented new preclinical data for its cytomegalovirus (搜索) (CMV) vaccine program, EVX-V1, revealing that the company's AI-Immunology™ platform has uncovered novel antigens previously unexplored in the CMV vaccine research field. The findings mark a significant step forward in a decades-long effort to develop a vaccine against the most complex of all herpes viruses, for which no approved vaccine exists.
The preclinical results demonstrate that the newly identified CMV antigens induce specific immune responses, inhibit viral infection, and reduce cell-to-cell spread in both cellular and animal viral infection models. These antigens represent entirely new targets that have not been investigated in prior CMV vaccine development efforts.
AI-Optimized Antigen Design
EVX-V1 is formulated as a combination of the novel AI-discovered antigens together with Evaxion's proprietary AI-optimized pre-fusion glycoprotein B (搜索) (gB) antigen. According to the company, this AI-engineered gB antigen has demonstrated superior performance compared to the traditional gB antigen, including enhanced CMV neutralization — a critical functional measure for an effective vaccine.
"With our AI-Immunology™ platform, we have uncovered novel antigens that are entirely new to the CMV vaccine research field," the company stated in its announcement, emphasizing that these previously unexplored CMV antigens represent a departure from conventional antigen selection strategies.
The Unmet Need in CMV
Cytomegalovirus (搜索) remains a significant global health challenge. Approximately 1 in 200 babies is born with congenital CMV infection, and about 1 in 5 of those infants will develop congenital disabilities or other long-term health problems, including intellectual disability and loss of vision and hearing. The virus infects roughly 60% to 70% of adults in developed countries and nearly 100% in developing economies.
CMV is transmitted through body fluids and, once contracted, persists for life. While healthy individuals may remain asymptomatic, people with weakened immune systems — including organ transplant patients — can develop severe symptoms affecting the eyes, lungs, and liver. Despite decades of research, no CMV vaccine has received regulatory approval.
The CMV treatment market was valued at $474.6 million in 2023 and is anticipated to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% between 2024 and 2032, driven by increasing awareness, rising prevalence of CMV infection, and the development of new and effective treatments.
Evaxion's AI-Driven Pipeline
Evaxion is a TechBio company built around its proprietary AI-Immunology™ platform, which harnesses artificial intelligence to decode the human immune system and develop novel vaccine candidates for both cancer and infectious diseases. The platform supports rapid, efficient, and high-quality target discovery, drug design, and development across a team of over 40 experts covering the entire value chain from target discovery to clinical development.
The company's pipeline includes both personalized and off-the-shelf cancer vaccine candidates, as well as prophylactic vaccine candidates for infectious diseases — all targeting indications with high unmet medical need. The EVX-V1 preclinical data further validate the platform's capacity to identify novel, functional antigens that may overcome historical barriers in vaccine development for complex pathogens like CMV.