According to TFF Pharmaceuticals, the company has received a 3-year Direct to Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant worth ~$2.97 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for further pre-clinical development of a dry powder pan-influenza vaccine formulation based on the company’s thin film freezing technology. The company specified that the grant will fund the evaluation of adjuvants for both inhaled and intranasal delivery of the vaccine and testing of the vaccine in a ferret model of influenza, plus toxicology studies and activities related to a potential scale up.
In April 2020, TFF announced that it had partnered with Ted Ross of the University of Georgia to develop the vaccine formulation. Ross has since moved to the Cleveland Clinic.
TFF VP of Preclinical Development Dale Christensen commented, “The advancement of this program is a result of a highly productive, multi-year collaboration between TFF Pharmaceuticals and world-renowned vaccine researcher Dr. Ted Ross, Global Director of Vaccine Development at Cleveland Clinic. Traditional liquid vaccines require cold-chain handling which increases cost and present substantial barriers to establishing a stockpile or accessibility to underdeveloped areas. By developing dry powder vaccines that circumvent the need for cold chain storage, we can reduce those barriers. The funding for this project recognizes the potential of our technology to improve vaccine formulation of a universal flu vaccine in collaboration with Dr. Ross’ groundbreaking work.”
CEO Harlan Weisman said, “We would like to thank the NIAID for this grant, which provides significant funding to help us apply our thin film freezing technology to develop a novel influenza vaccine that is potentially both highly effective and more accessible globally compared to current options. A shelf-stable mucosal formulation will revolutionize the public health approach, providing an influenza vaccine that is effective regardless of which strain emerges in any given year. We look forward to advancing this program alongside Dr. Ross and his colleagues and appreciate the opportunity to further demonstrate the versatility of our thin film freezing technology, while also advancing a potentially important new vaccine to help millions of people combat influenza.”
TFF is also developing vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and against alphaviruses and filoviruses in partnership with the US military.
Read the TFF Pharmaceuticals press release.
