Why it matters: Vaccines are increasingly being explored as another way to fight antimicrobial resistance: preventing infections can reduce both disease and the antibiotic use that drives resistance. But vaccines against the Gram-negative hospital pathogens targeted by Vaxdyn remain unusually scarce.
- Carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii sits in the WHO’s critical-priority group for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, alongside resistant Enterobacterales that include Klebsiella and E. coli. Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, another target of Vaxdyn’s platform, is considered high priority.
Zoom in: Seville-based Vaxdyn is developing a platform covering A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and pathogenic E. coli. K-VAX is its most advanced program and is designed to protect against diseases caused by the first two pathogens, including pneumonia, urinary tract and bloodstream infections.
- The Series A will be supplemented by non-dilutive funding from the EIC Accelerator and CARB-X, a global non-profit partnership that funds and supports early-stage research to fight drug-resistant bacteria
The big picture: Vaxdyn is not alone in this race against the clock, but the field remains thin.
- Swiss biotech LimmaTech Biologics and GSK have already taken Kleb4V, a tetravalent bioconjugate vaccine against K. pneumoniae, through a 166-person Phase 1/2 study. Results published this year showed the candidate was immunogenic and generally well tolerated.
- U.S. biotech Syntiron is developing Alloy-EK against E. coli and K. pneumoniae. The CARB-X-backed program is currently in lead optimization and is being developed both for recurrent urinary tract infections and as a maternal vaccine to protect newborns from sepsis.
- Michigan-based Hafion is working preclinically on an intranasal vaccine intended to provide broad protection against P. aeruginosa, including multidrug-resistant strains.
What’s next: “This funding marks a critical step in Vaxdyn’s evolution into a clinical-stage company,” CEO Juanjo Infante said, adding that the financing will allow the company to “clinically validate a promising vaccine platform designed to combat antimicrobial resistance.”
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