Ziphius Vaccines, a biopharmaceutical company developing transformative self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) based medicinal products for vaccine and therapeutic applications, and the University of Antwerp announce that they have entered into a collaboration agreement to research and develop a dynamic lipid library for optimized delivery systems of saRNA-based drugs and therapeutics.

The safe and effective delivery of nucleic acids into the cell is one of the biggest challenges for the development and production of mRNA-based drugs. Ziphius’ delivery platform employs the cutting-edge LNP technology to specifically design saRNA carriers that ensure proper encapsulation, stability, and biodegradability of the LNP-saRNA complex.

Prof. dr. Koen Augustyns, dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences University of Antwerp, commenting on today’s announcement, stated: “Everyone got to know about mRNA vaccines during the Covid-19 crisis. In future, we expect a lot from saRNA vaccines, their successors. Different researchers of the University of Antwerp have extensive expertise in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. We are pleased that we can now pool our knowledge with Ziphius. In some cases, one plus one equals three: that is certainly the case when it comes to this collaboration.”

Chris Cardon, CEO of Ziphius Vaccines, said: “Efficient delivery of saRNA to the cells is a major limiting factor for the development and production of RNA based vaccines. With this collaboration agreement with the University of Antwerp we will be leveraging the expertise and the innovative skills in organic and medicinal chemistry continue to invest in the further optimization of our proprietary delivery platform.”

Prof. dr. Augustyns is the dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Antwerp where he teaches in medicinal chemistry and has guided numerous master and PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. His research expertise is in the fields of medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry and organic synthesis. His research in medicinal chemistry is mostly focused on the design and development of novel hit and lead compounds with potential therapeutic applications in the fields of cell death, inflammation and infectious diseases.