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Tonix Pharmaceuticals Announces Exclusive Option and Research Collaboration with Kansas State University to Develop LNP-Free mRNA Vaccines
New Zinc Nanoparticle (ZNP) Technology Replaces the Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Technology Employed in Current mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines ZNP Technology Expected to
About this update from Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"New Zinc Nanoparticle (ZNP) Technology Replaces the Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Technology Employed in Current mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines ZNP Technology Expected to Improve mRNA Vaccine Temperature Stability for Storage and Transport TNX-3700 is a ZNP mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Development in Collaboration with Kansas State CHATHAM, N.J., Jan. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced an exclusive option agreement and research collaboration with Kansas State University (K-State) to develop zinc nanoparticle (ZNP) mRNA vaccines that replace the lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) technology in current COVID-19 vaccines. The new ZNP technology has the potential to confer increased stability to mRNA vaccines over a wide range of temperature. The temperature-sensitive nature of LNP mRNA formulations restricts vaccine shipping and storage to ultralow temperatures which limits rapid global deployment. Under the research agreement, K-State will advance preclinical development of a new ZNP mRNA vaccine to protect against COVID-19 based on the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2. “The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19 have shown that mRNA technology is rapidly deployable and is likely to be one of the first lines of defense for future pandemics,” said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “The ZNP technology invented and developed by scientists at K-State has the potential to make mRNA vaccines that are free from LNPs, which we believe has the potential to improve the stability of mRNA vaccines at room temperature and facilitate their deployment in places without ultra-cold chain supply systems. We have now learned that pandemics need to be controlled globally.” Robert K. DeLong, Ph.D., associate professor in the Nanotechnology Innovation Center of Kansas State within the Department of Anatomy and Physiology and inventor of the core technology said, “The LNP technology of current mRNA COVID-19 vaccines limits our ability to deploy these vaccines in many parts of the world. The technology we have developed uses zinc to replace LNPs and has the potential to result in more temperature stable mRNA vaccines. Unlike LNPs, the ZNPs are believed to be stable over a range of temperatures including ro...