MILPITAS, Calif., May 1, 2020 – AbVision, Inc., an innovative biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the Company has developed a novel first-in-class COVID-19 vaccine candidate (AVI-205) with an active targeting feature, powered by its ImmunoBuster-II^TM Active Targeting Vaccine Platform.

This novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate actively targets immune cells upon injection, as compared to the passive diffusion mechanism of traditional vaccines, resulting in quickly generation of potent neutralizing IgG antibodies that block the binding of SARS-CoV-2 S1 to hACE2 in less than one week, an immune response that usually takes more than two weeks to achieve with other vaccines. The Active Targeting COVID-19 vaccine candidate is more potent than vaccines without the active targeting feature, eliciting both a more rapid immune response and a greater resultant IgG antibody titer (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).

The Company has now successfully completed preclinical studies and generated promising data. As a result, this novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate is now available for out-licensing and collaborations for downstream development and clinical studies, according to the Company.

Figure 1. Generation of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein IgG Antibodies. SARS-CoV-2 S1 specific IgG was measured following vaccination in mice with Active Targeting COVID-19 Vaccine (AVI-205). Rapid and robust immune response was observed in less than a week.

Figure 2. ELISA-Based Receptor-Binding Inhibition Assay. Specific SARS-CoV-2 S1-hACE2 binding was inhibited in vitro using serum collected from mice vaccinated with Active Targeting COVID-19 Vaccine (AVI-205). The inhibition of S1-hACE2 binding was observed in as early as 6 days post vaccination.

About AbVision
AbVision, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with its R&D center in the SF Bay Area. The Company focuses on discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies and vaccines. The Company’s innovative technology platforms provide distinct advantages for antibody discovery, vaccine development and cancer therapies. AbVision aims to use the novel ImmunoBuster-II^TM Active Targeting Vaccine Platform to develop more powerful vaccines with faster, stronger immune responses for prophylactic and therapeutic treatments. Several other Active Targeting vaccines including a human rabies vaccine as well as several monoclonal antibodies for cancer therapies are also available for out-licensing to enable faster downstream development and clinical studies.

About ImmunoBuster-II^TM
AbVision’s ImmunoBuster-II^TM Active Targeting Vaccine Platform is a first-in-class potent immune activator with targeting feature, created on top of the innovation of the Company’s renowned ImmunoBuster-I^TM technology. Vaccines powered by ImmunoBuster-II^TM can elicit robust isotype switched IgG response in less than a week and maintain long-lasting IgG response post vaccination. ImmunoBuster-II^TM can work synergistically with essentially all commercially available vaccines to elicit faster and stronger neutralizing immunity than current vaccinations.

For Licensing and Collaborations
Contact AbVision’s Business Development and Licensing Department (BD&L) by email licensing@abvisioninc.com  or phone +1-408-493-1822.  For more information about AbVision, visit www.abvisioninc.com.