On November 20, 2009, Soligenix announced that it has formed a consortium to develop thermostable technology to advance RiVax and other rapidly acting vaccines. Soligenix received a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support this work.
A key component of this initiative is the formation of collaborative partnerships between industry and academic researchers from different disciplines. Soligenix will partner with academic institutions, including the University of Colorado, the University of Kansas, and the Tulane National Primate Research Center. Industry partners include SRI International, Health Research Inc, Battelle Memorial Institute, Nanotherapeutics, and BioCon.
As part of the initiative, Soligenix has executed an option agreement with the University of Colorado. The agreement covers novel technology to develop vaccines that can maintain stability at elevated temperatures. This new technology will form the cornerstone of the R&D effort. Work will involve the development of formulation and manufacturing processes for vaccines, including RiVax, that are stable at elevated temperatures. An additional goal will be the development of improved thermostable adjuvants expected to result in rapidly acting vaccines that can be given with fewer injections over shorter intervals.