Abingdon’s Emergex receives US patent protection for flu vaccines

Oxfordshire biotech Emergex has received patent protection from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its novel class of influenza vaccines.

The team say their vaccine candidates have the potential to provide long-term T cell immunity against all legacy strains of influenza A since 1918, as well as seasonal variants.

They’re particularly focused on NEG8, a potential protein encoded in segment eight of the influenza A virus.

With a patent secured, Emergex will now look to advance a vaccine into the clinic, and expects to begin phase I trials in the first half of 2025.

Prof Thomas Rademacher, co-founder and CEO of Emergex, said: “Our research into NEG8 has revealed exciting potential for a new approach to influenza vaccines.

“We believe that a vaccine composition including conserved NEG8-derived MHC class I peptides could provide protection against past, existing, and emerging human influenza viruses, as well as prevent zoonotic influenza viruses from establishing themselves in the human population and causing a pandemic.

“Emergex aims to leverage this NEG8 epitope-containing vaccine to generate a durable and broadly protective cellular immune response upon vaccination.”

Emergex has its headquarters in Abingdon with R&D facilities at Milton Park, Oxfordshire.