POP Biotechnologies Inc. (POP BIO), a UB spinoff, received a $2.84M Phase II SBIR grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, to advance their novel influenza vaccine platform.
This new project leverages their proprietary SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Particleization) technology to create a hexavalent influenza vaccine, SNAP-Flu, incorporating hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) antigens. Current flu vaccines don’t always provide enough protection, but POP BIO’s approach combines two key flu virus proteins into tiny particles that boost immune responses while using less material.
The project involves producing and characterizing SNAP-Flu and testing its efficacy in mice, ferrets, and primates through collaborations with the University at Buffalo, BIOQUAL, and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. The SBIR award will used to expand development of this platform to novel influenza antigen designs in preparation for clinical translation and testing.
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