BRIEF—Meissa raises $30 million for RSV vaccine

California’s Meissa Vaccines has raised $30 million in a series A financing round, aimed at hiring more staff and conducting Phase I and II clinical trials for an investigational RSV vaccine.

The firm is working on vaccines to prevent viral respiratory infections, leveraging synthetic biology and genetic engineering for the rational design of vaccines.

Chief executive Martin Moore said: “Our team at Meissa is developing a live attenuated RSV vaccine with potential to prevent RSV disease in infants and children globally, and the vaccine may be useful for boosting immunity in the elderly who also suffer from RSV.”