Ethris, a clinical-stage biotechnology company creating RNA therapeutics and vaccines, and Lonza entered a collaboration to develop room-temperature stable, spray-dried formulations of mRNA-based vaccine candidates, designed for mucosal delivery to combat respiratory diseases.

Lonza will provide spray-drying and particle engineering for vaccine candidates based on Ethris’ stabilized non-immunogenic mRNA (SNIM RNA) and stabilized lipid nanoparticles (SNaP LNP) platform at its U.S. Bend site, which specializes in addressing bioavailability challenges and modulating pharmacokinetics to meet target product profiles. 

Room-temperature stability aims to address significant supply chain challenges associated with some mRNA vaccines, including the dependence on ultra-low-temperature storage and complex delivery systems. 

The initial focus of the collaboration is to develop a first-in-class mRNA vaccine candidate against influenza delivered nasally. This non-invasive approach is designed to provide localized immune responses with an immune effect comparable to intramuscular vaccines and could reduce virus transmission by generating mucosal immunity at the site of virus entry.

Jan Vertommen, Vice President, Head of Commercial Development, Advanced Synthesis, Lonza, said: “Spray-drying represents a well-established technique that addresses solubility and other manufacturing and stability challenges… Combining the expertise of Lonza Bend site’s particle engineering team with the innovative SNIM RNA of Ethris, there is great potential to target unmet medical needs in the field of non-invasive vaccine delivery.”