News / biotech
Bristol biotech firm makes strides in developing a vaccine for hantavirus
A Bristol-based biotech firm has made major advances towards developing a vaccine for hantavirus.
EnsiliTech, based at Science Creates in St Philip’s Marsh, has spent the past two years working towards a potential vaccine to treat hantavirus.
Hantavirus recently made international headlines following an outbreak linked to the MV Hondius in the Atlantic, which claimed three lives.
The most potent strains of hantavirus can carry fatality rates of between 35 and 40 per cent.
The team at St Philip’s-based EnsiliTech has made major advances towards developing a vaccine for hantavirus – photo: EnsiliTech
It is reported that more than 200,000 cases of this highly infectious disease are reported each year, mostly in Asia and South America.
EnsiliTech has been working on the project with funding from the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), developing an mRNA-LNP construct that has already been tested in laboratories.
Researchers say the current antigen has shown promising results in animal testing, raising hopes that it could eventually form the basis of an effective vaccine to be rolled out.
The Bristol team has been collaborating with researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in America and Afrigen in South Africa.
The company is now awaiting a second round of funding to continue pre-clinical development and move towards the Investigational New Drug (IND) stage – a key regulatory step before human clinical trials.
EnsiliTech’s patented technology allows vaccines to be stored and transported without the need for ultra-cold storing facilities – photo: EnsiliTech
If development continues successfully, the vaccine could potentially reach Phase 1 clinical trials in South Africa or South East Asia, with deployment possible within three to five years.
Once approved, EnsiliTech’s patented “ensilication” technology could allow vaccines to be stored and transported without the need for ultra-cold storage facilities.
Many vaccines currently require storage at temperatures as low as -70C, with fluctuations risking damage to biomolecules and contributing to millions of dollars in vaccine wastage every year.
EnsiliTech’s technology instead applies a silica-based nanoshell around biomolecules, creating a protective coating that prevents degradation caused by temperature changes.
The innovation could prove particularly valuable in regions where specialist cooling infrastructure and reliable transport links are limited.
EnsiliTech is a spinout of the University of Bath, while the incubator Science Creates is a spinout of the University of Bristol.
Co-founders Asel Sartbaeva and Aswin Doekhie at work – photo: EnsiliTech
Founded in 2022 by Asel Sartbaeva, Stephen Wells, Aswin Doekhie and Matt Slade, the company has already won several industry awards, including Innovative Startup of the Year and MedTech & HealthTech Startup of the Year.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Dr Sartbaeva said: “Hantavirus diseases, including hantaan virus, for which we have been developing a new vaccine, are a group of neglected viruses against which there was previously no WHO-approved vaccine.
“I am proud that we at EnsiliTech have chosen to develop this vaccine, which could potentially save lives across the globe, especially knowing that our ensilication technology will make those vaccines easier to transport to places where they are most needed.”
She stressed that hantaviruses have been known to scientists for decades and are “very different to Covid, so there is no need to panic – this is not the start of another pandemic”.
Science Creates, founded by Dr Harry Destecroix, operates at three locations in Bristol and provides specialised laboratory facilities for deep tech startups.
Main photo: Laurie Lapworth
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