Our Technology
The Aegis Vaccine Platform
A New Paradigm in Cross Protective Vaccines
The Aegis Vaccine Platform offers a new paradigm in cross protective vaccines. Pacific GeneTech owns the exclusive global Aegis rights for viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases in animals and humans using microbial “vectors”, including both bacteria and yeasts. Aegis utilizes recombinant technology for the insertion of bacterial, viral or protozoan genes into microbial vectors. These genes are “expressed” by the vector cell to produce specific antigens and immune enhancing proteins on the vector cell surface. Aegis vaccines use “universal” antigens which are protective across a range of pathogen strains and even species and are manufactured using a low-cost fermentation process.
How are Aegis vaccines different from traditional vaccines?
Existing “classical” vaccines mainly offer protection against specific pathogen strains used to make the vaccines. There is often little cross protection against other strains and protection against genetic changes or mutations is minimal. Aegis vaccines offer broad spectrum cross protection, reducing or eliminating the need for multiple vaccines, and they address the problem of mutation. Traditionally, inactivated vaccines are only effective as injectables, are labor intensive and costly to administer. Aegis vaccines can be delivered live or inactivated, and orally via water or spray.
Hercules Adjuvant
A Novel Universal Adjuvant Delivery System
Hercules is a proprietary modified Chitosan adjuvant that enhances immune responses to multiple antigens, including orally administered antigens.
Hercules, when used orally promotes secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) on mucous membranes, inhibits pathogen invasion at the site of attack and is effective even with inactivated vaccines. Historically, orally delivered vaccines have tended to be live. Hercules is particularly useful in directing antigens toward antigen presenting cells and preliminary data indicates it acts as an effective delivery system for DNA vaccines against viral pathogens.
Pacific GeneTech holds the global, exclusive rights to Hercules, and it is the adjuvant for all inactivated vaccines in the Aegis platform. In addition, Hercules has been out licensed to third party vaccine manufacturers for use in a poultry coryza vaccine and a swine streptococcus suis vaccine. Pacific GeneTech is developing applications for Hercules in other host species including fish, ruminants and companion animals. Hercules is available for partnering and out-licensing opportunities to both animal and human vaccine companies seeking adjuvants/delivery systems for enhanced mucosal immunity and possibly oral delivery.
Current Vaccines
Pacific GeneTech’s cross-protective Salmonella vaccine (CPH001) for poultry has been out licensed to a multinational company and is in the regulatory process, including with the USDA. It is expected to launch commercially in 2024. We are also testing this vaccine for possible protection against E. coli and Campylobacter in poultry.
We have also developed our cross-protective swine enteric vaccinee (CPH002) which has demonstrated efficacy against Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli. This vaccine is being out licensed.
Pacific GeneTech’s innovative parasite vaccine for Eimeria in poultry (TMH001) has been out licensed globally to a multinational animal health company. TMH001 is the first commercially available inactivated Eimeria vaccine for poultry and is cross protective against multiple species of coccidiosis. The vaccine is in the regulatory process, including with the USDA.
Eimeria is a protozoan apicomplexan parasite also related to other apicomplexa, including Toxoplasma, and Neosopora. Like Salmonella and E. coli, Toxoplasma and Neospora are typical zoonotic diseases and are found in both animals and humans. Pacific GeneTech has ongoing programs for these pathogens.
For more details on our other vaccines under development, please refer to our Pipeline Chart.