AstriVax raises $30 million to build vaccine platform

AstriVax, a start-up working to develop novel vaccines, has raised the largest amount of seed capital in the history of Belgium-based university KU Leuven spin-offs, totalling $30 million.

The company aims to address major challenges in vaccinology, such as the duration of protection and the ease of production. Developing vaccines that are easy to produce, have reduced cold chain requirements, and offer broad and long-lasting protection against various viruses and other pathogens will allow the company to deliver vaccines to patients more easily.

AstriVax will use the funding, which was led by V-Bio Ventures and Fund+, to bring its first thermostable yellow fever vaccine to the clinical development stage and to further develop their pipeline vaccine candidates – one to prevent rabies and one to treat chronic hepatitis B.