BETHESDA, Md. & GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics, a One Health company developing vaccines and diagnostic tools for global public health and zoonosis concerns, presented new data from an animal study indicating the durability and broad strain coverage of LHNVD-105, the company’s universal influenza vaccine candidate. The data was presented at IDWeek 2023, which took place in Boston from October 11-15, 2023.

Traditional seasonal influenza vaccines attempt to match circulating influenza strains. Production timelines and influenza’s ability to rapidly mutate often leads to a mismatch in protection due to changes in the virus strain. Alternate vaccine strategies that target multiple key components of the virus that are conserved across influenza viruses have the potential to combat this issue.

In this study, Longhorn immunized mice intramuscularly and intradermally with a low dose (1 µg) and high-dose (20 µg) of an unconjugated composite influenza peptide vaccine comprising HA+NA (Flu Pep11) and Matrix (M1/M2/M2e) +T-cell epitope (Flu Pep5906) formulated with ALFQ. Isotype specific IgG titers to composite peptides, individual epitopes, and multiple strains of influenza A (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1), and B (Yamagata, Victoria) were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, known as ELISA.

Results included:

• IgG1 and IgG2b antibody response was seen at day 21 post primary immunization and remained steady for all groups up to day 200 (duration of study). IgG2a and IgG3 titers were also generated.
• Antibodies recognized multiple strains each of human and avian influenza A and influenza B virus subtypes, 200 days post primary immunization, and were comparable between doses and routes.
• Strong neutralizing titers were shown against Group 1 and 2 influenza viruses.

“These composite peptides adjuvanted with ALFQ generate durable and broad immunity and provide a cost-effective and easily scalable strategy that moves us closer to a highly effective universal influenza vaccine,” said Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics CEO Gerald W. Fischer, MD. “These results further support advancing LHNVD-105 into human clinical trials.”

The vaccine is in development to prevent infection and spread of human, swine, and avian influenza viruses.

For more information about Longhorn, visit www.LHNVD.com.

About Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics

Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics LLC is a closely held One Health company based in Maryland that is developing vaccines and diagnostic tools for worldwide public health concerns and to prevent future pandemics. Since its inception in 2006, Longhorn has focused on developing vaccines and diagnostic tools that can impact a pandemic on a global scale and at all socio-economic levels. Since pandemics flow between humans and animals, Longhorn caters to both in order to surveil, diagnose, prevent and treat the next infectious disease.

Longhorn developed and patented a composite peptide platform for generating vaccines against challenging pathogens, multiple pathogens, and engineering multiple targets for preventing the effects of a disease. LHNVD-105, an adjuvated universal influenza vaccine targeting NA, M1, M2, M2e, HA head and HA stalk, is Longhorn’s lead vaccine candidate. An IND-enabling stage vaccine, LHNVD-105 is expected to enter phase I clinical trials in Q2/Q3 2024. Longhorn has multiple vaccines and monoclonal antibody candidates in pre-clinical testing for viral and respiratory diseases.

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