BioVaxys Technology Corp., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of immune-educating therapies based on its novel DPX platform, has executed a binding Letter of Intent with AP Visionaries Inc. of Ontario (APVI) to jointly develop a proprietary DPX formulation to address the need for a therapy to treat or alleviate the potentially life-threatening risk of certain food allergies, namely those triggered by exposure to peanut/tree nuts or eggs.

BioVaxys and APVI are conducting the study in collaboration with The Schroeder Allergy and Immunology Research Institute (SAIRI) at McMaster University in Ontario.

Under the terms of the Agreement, BioVaxys will provide funding for the study to APVI, which has a collaboration in place with SAIRI to evaluate in animal models the robustness of DPX protection and evaluate whether DPX transforms the underlying immunopathology of food allergy. BioVaxys will retain all intellectual property rights to any resulting product. APVI will receive a royalty from BioVaxys on any gross sales from a resulting product and a milestone payment at first regulatory approval.

Kenneth Kovan, President & COO of BioVaxys stated, “Our ability to tackle this unmet medical need is directly attributable to the immune educating capability and highly flexible antigen loading capacity of our DPX platform. With the DPX platform already the backbone of multiple BioVaxys clinical programs in oncology and infectious disease, we see a staggering opportunity for continued expansion into other novel DPX-formulations with polynucleotides, peptides, proteins, virus-like articles, and small molecules.”

Peanut allergies affect an estimated 1.2% of the overall US population and about 2.5% of the pediatric population. They are the most common food allergy in children, affecting about 25% of those with a food allergy, and are a leading cause of allergy-related death in children (Am J Manag Care 2018;24:-S0).

There have been substantial advances in the treatment of peanut allergy, but cures have remained elusive and, therefore, is typically a lifelong disease. Avoidance and carrying an epinephrine autoinjector in case of accidental ingestion is unfortunately still the standard of care for most food-allergic individuals.

“We look forward to completing preclinical studies with our development partners, and anticipate an emerging profile for a single dose, long duration, product consistent with other DPX formulations,” said James Passin, CEO of BioVaxys.