EpiVax partners with GVF to make COVID-19 vaccine license-free to developing countries

Privately-held US biotech EpiVax, which is using advanced computational tools to accelerate a COVID-19 vaccine candidate (EPV-CoV19) for healthcare workers (HCW) into clinical trials in six months, yesterday announced its partnership with GAIA Vaccine Foundation (GVF) to crowd-source funds for the project and its pledge to make a free license available to developing countries who qualify, in the context of this partnership.

EPV-CoV19 is a peptide-based, epitope-driven vaccine that can be rapidly and safely produced in most countries. Applying EpiVax' expertise enabled the selection of sequences representing all circulating SARS-CoV-2 genomes that will drive a T cell-mediated immune response, providing HCW with immune system "body armor", reducing their risk of morbidity and mortality. EPV-CoV19 will enter US clinical trials once funds have been raised ($1.75 million).

GVF, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, will enable private citizens and foundations to contribute to development of EPV-CoV19. GVF's mission is to reduce incidence of infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the under-served and promote the development of globally relevant, accessible vaccines that can be distributed on a not-for-profit basis in the developing world.