The startup develops therapeutic proteins and DNA vaccines targeting hepatitis B, hepatitis D, and COVID-19 using a rapid vaccine development platform. This technology enables healthcare providers to deliver timely treatments for viral infections, improving patient recovery rates.
Funding
$770K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Chronic hepatitis B and D infections affect hundreds of millions globally, often leading to liver cirrhosis and cancer due to the lack of curative treatments. Existing prophylactic vaccines do not treat existing infections, and current therapeutic vaccine candidates have struggled with immunogenicity in chronically infected patients. The rapid mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 necessitates continuous updates to current COVID-19 vaccines.
Solution
SVF Vaccines develops therapeutic vaccines and immunotherapies for life-threatening viral diseases, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis D, and COVID-19. Their Hepatitis B and D vaccine, SVF-001, aims to prevent infection of liver cells and eliminate already infected cells by inducing antibodies and T cells targeting HDV. The COVID-19 vaccine is designed to activate a broad immune response targeting multiple parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, providing broad coverage against different variants. The vaccine platform combines different viral genes to generate both neutralizing antibodies and T cells, enabling the immune system to effectively combat infection.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes individuals chronically infected with Hepatitis B and D viruses, as well as individuals seeking broad and long-lasting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Features
- SVF-001 contains a unique combination of antigens selected to activate immune functional responses in patients with chronic Hepatitis infections.
- SVF-001 targets the PreS1 region of the surface antigen found on both HBV and HDV, which is essential for viral entry into liver cells.
- The COVID-19 vaccine targets three proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (spike, membrane, and nucleoprotein) to activate a broadly reactive immune response.
- The COVID-19 vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies and broadly reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses.
- The vaccine platform is based on technology developed at Karolinska Institute, combining viral genes to generate neutralizing antibodies and T cells.
- SVF-001 has demonstrated the ability to activate antibodies and T cells to HDV in a model of chronic HBV infection and prevent superinfection.