Self-amplifying mRNA vaccine under-design to tackle Omicron variant

US-based Gritstone bio, Inc. and CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, have announced the expansion of their agreement on December 6, 2021 to support the development of a self-amplifying mRNA (SAM) vaccine designed to tackle the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Norway-based CEPI will provide up to $5 million in additional funding to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of Gritstone’s Omicron vaccine candidate in South Africa, where a CEPI-funded clinical trial of Gritstone’s Beta variant COVID-19 vaccine is due to begin shortly. The SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes (TCEs) administered within Gritstone’s SAM COVID-19 vaccines are minimally impacted by mutations found within the Omicron variant, reinforcing the platform’s potential to address both Omicron and future variants of concern. CEPI is already funding up to $20.6 million to support preclinical studies, manufacturing process optimisation, and a Phase 1 trial of Gritstone’s Beta variant vaccine candidate (containing beta-Spike plus additional TCEs), which will be initiated by South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand in the coming weeks.