Penn Medicine has entered into a new strategic collaboration with BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, to research and develop mRNA vaccines for various infectious diseases.

The goal of the multi-year partnership is for researchers from both the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) at the University of Pennsylvania and BioNTech to exchange their in-depth knowledge and experience in mRNA research and development to advance the discovery of novel vaccine candidates for up to 10 infectious diseases.

At Penn, the research will be conducted by Drew Weissman, professor of infectious diseases at PSOM, as well other investigators, including Gary H. Cohen, professor of microbiology at Penn Dental, and Harvey Friedman, professor of infectious diseases at PSOM.

While most commercially available vaccines for infectious diseases involve a lab-grown inactivated or attenuated virus that is injected into the body to elicit an immune response for future protection, mRNA vaccines work by delivering nucleotide sequences that code for specific cell surface antigens found on pathogens. Once the mRNA vaccine enters the body’s cells, it uses cellular machinery to produce the cell surface antigen protein encoded by the mRNA. The antigen is then recognized as foreign by the immune system, eliciting a strong response for protection against the target pathogen.

“Nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccines offer promising advantages over conventional vaccines: They have the potential to encode any antigen for almost any pathogen and allow for higher levels of neutralization and durability of the response and a capacity for faster production at a lower cost,” Dr. Weissman said. “Combining Penn’s strengths in immunotherapy, molecular biology and mRNA expertise with BioNTech’s technology platforms could lead to the development of highly flexible vaccines that provide protections against a wide-ranging list of infectious diseases.”

Recent research led by Dr. Weissman has demonstrated the potential of mRNA to elicit potent immune responses against pathogens, including influenza and the Zika virus, making it a viable, attractive platform for prophylactic vaccine development. A study published in Nature Communications in August 2018 by Dr. Weissman and colleagues showed how an mRNA vaccine elicited a strong antibody response to a structure on the surface of flu viruses, called the hemagglutinin stalk, and protected mice from infection by distant and mutated flu strains.

The new vaccine research will focus on infectious diseases with a large unmet need, a growing epidemic potential, or that have remained inaccessible to conventional vaccine approaches.

“Entering into a strategic R&D alliance with BioNTech expands the infectious disease research efforts at Penn,” said James W. Bowen, the executive director of Corporate Alliances at the Penn Center for Innovation. “This alliance builds on a strong foundation of mRNA engineering and vaccine development knowledge and aligns this Penn expertise with the mRNA manufacturing, mRNA product development and translational science capabilities of BioNTech. We welcome collaboration and innovation that improves vaccine development with a goal to develop new and improved ways to reduce the transmission of
infectious diseases.”