바이오스펙테이터

by Yoonseok Suh

Eubiologics, which has been leading the extermination of cholera through the supplying of the cholera vaccine to developing countries, now challenges the development of premium vaccines through its new platform. Eubiologics succeeded in the development of cholera vaccine for the third time in the world, with the completion of its Phase III Clinical Trial of a oral cholera vaccine in 2014, and thereafter recorded an operating income of 9.8 billion KRW, based on sales of 33.1 billion KRW, stemming from the constant supplying of the cholera vaccine.

The company currently focuses on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. The candidate COVID-19 vaccine, the ‘EuCOVAC-19,' upon completion of the Non-Clinical Trial, applied for its Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and intends to acquire approval at the end of next year. The EuCOVAC-19 vaccine makes use of 'EuIMT+SNAP' platform technology, which is a synthesis of spontaneously-developed immunoenhancing agent (EuIMT) technology and antigen-displaying technology (SNAP), which were secured through investment in U.S.’s PopBiotech.

What is Eubiologics’ EuIMT+SNAP, which is often referred to as the next-generation platform for vaccine development? The immuno-enhancing agent of Eubiologics, shortened to ‘EuIMT,’ is a technology introduced by KIST in 2017, which gives the company the ability to produce the TLR4 agonist, the ‘MPLA(monophosphoryl lipid A)’.

Such an immuno-augmentative agent not only strengthens vaccine efficacy, but additionally reacts more quickly and powerfully even with a lower amount of antigen, thereby allowing the effects of the vaccine to remain more sustainably. Eubiologics is confident of the elevated quality of its spontaneously developed technology, the EcML, to those of competitors, in terms of its mass producibility and therefore its low level of production cost.

The SNAP technology is a drug delivery platform which exploits the CoPoP nanoliposome (cobalt porphyrin-phospholipid (PoP) nanoliposome), which was developed by PopBiotech in the U.S. The SNAP vaccine has combines the CoPoP nanoliposome with histidine (His-tagged antigen), which is exposed on the surface of nanoliposome, whereby the histidine is fixed on the porphyrin structure (CoPoP) that exists between the double layers of nanoliposome, which thereby ensures the stable exposure of the antigen protein. Yeong Ok Baik, President of Eubiologics, stated, "The exposure of numerous antigens on the surface of nanoliposome resembles the surface of the virus by which it therefore promptly and directly induces the in vivo immune response…”

Inoculation of the SNAP vaccine consists of an antigen protein which is combined with liposome, and it enables the easy access of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to an antigen on the liposome’s surface, and generates antibodies through this uptake-generated activation. PopBiotech studied the immunogenicity and safety of the CoPoP-utilizing vaccine through the exploitation of the antigen candidate of the malaria vaccine (pfs25) on its mouse model. Results of the study revealed a significant increase in the formation of antibodies due to the inoculation of CoPoP nanoliposome, which was combined with TLR4 agonist, when comparing to the case which made use of alum (alumimun salt), which was the immunoenhancing agent employed for the control group. Furthermore, the inoculation of CoPoP nanoliposome of 1 ug, which was less than the inoculation of 10 ug of Alum, also resulted in similar levels of antibody capacity (doi.org/10.1038/s41565-018-0271-3).