Mumbai Oct 30 : PopVax, a full-stack biotechnology company in India pioneering mRNA vaccines and therapeutics through computational protein design, is excited to announce that its ongoing development of lipid-polymer delivery formulations for thermostable mRNA vaccines has received 1.15 million USD in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, formalized through a project agreement in October 2023.
This new funding builds on an initial 2021 project agreement, where PopVax was awarded 100,000 USD to support its early research into mRNA platform development and thermostable delivery systems. PopVax’s unique formulations utilize novel lipids and polymers developed in-house. The company began its first animal study on a project-specific formulation in September 2024, aiming to test efficacy.
Dr. Maunish Barvalia, PopVax’s Vice President of Platform Technologies, is leading the project as Principal Investigator. Dr. Barvalia brings experience from his work with nucleic acid delivery at NanoVation Therapeutics and during his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
“We at PopVax are thrilled to have the support needed to tackle the challenge of creating thermostable delivery systems for mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, a crucial mission for public health,” said Soham Sankaran, PopVax Founder & Managing Director. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines proved their unprecedented speed in development, but challenges with storage at extremely low temperatures limited their accessibility in regions lacking such infrastructure. Our new formulations aim to remain stable at regular refrigerator temperatures, enabling rapid distribution and administration of mRNA vaccines in resource-limited settings.”
PopVax (https://popvax.com) has developed an innovative mRNA platform for virus-like particle (VLP) immunogen display, an LNP platform featuring custom ionizable lipids, and machine learning-driven protein design. Together with its GMP-ready production capabilities, PopVax is positioned to bring new mRNA therapeutics rapidly from concept to clinical testing.
Founded in 2021 and formerly incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), PopVax operates with a team of 70 at its RNA Foundry in Hyderabad. Its first major project is a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine that offers broad protection, with plans to initiate human clinical trials in the USA in early 2025. The company has six preclinical vaccine candidates and intends to launch five clinical trials in the next two years.
