Esperovax Co-Founders Published in Separation and Purification Technology Journal

ScienceDirerct

Co-Authored piece examines Aques Two-Phase System aimed at speeding vaccination production, quick deployment for today’s healthcare needs

Plymouth, Michigan, May 15, 2021 – Esperovax a company dedicated to bringing rapid deployment of oral vaccines to stop the spread of infectious disease announces a co-authored article, “Continuous Purification of an Enveloped and Non-enveloped Viral Particle Using an Aqueous Two-Phase System,” published in the The Separation and Purification Technology Journal. The Journal is published by ScienceDirect ® Elsevier’s premier platform of peer-reviewed literature.

Esperovax Co-Founders, David O’Hagan, Ph.D., President & CEO and Savita Nikam, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer were among the co-authors on the piece. Other co-authors include: Dylan G. Turpeinen, Pratik U. Joshi: Seth A. Kriz, Supreet Kaur, Natalie M. Nold, Hassan Masoud and Caryn L. Heldt. The Journal article highlights:

  • Continuous purification of viral particles is possible using a scaled up aqueous two-phase system.
  • In-line continuous mixing methods were important to match batch data.
  • Differences in viral physicochemical properties influence partitioning ability.
  • PPV and HIV VLP recoveries were ≥ 90% with a majority of contaminants removed.

The article examines how the demand for vaccines around the world is soaring and how continuous manufacturing productivity is a key component to maintain vaccine supply when needed most. To accomplish this achievement, the development of a proprietary, continuous downstream purification technique based on an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a needed game-changer. This system has the potential to be used as a platform system for viral product purification.

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) can be run as a fully continuous process. An ATPS is a liquid–liquid extraction technique that is used to partition molecules between two semi-miscible liquid phases and is typically comprised of a polymer and salt for biomolecule separations

Click on this link to access the article. It can be accessed until June 11, 2021.

Esperovax is a pre-clinical-stage, privately-held biotechnology company focused on developing vaccines and other biologic treatments using its proprietary oral delivery platform. Esperovax has developed a proprietary method for bioengineering probiotic yeast to deliver continuous and high concentrations of vaccine antigen in the gut. These antigens are delivered in the form of enveloped virus-like particles (eVLPs) right to the lymphoid tissue of the small intestine, inducing strong immune protection.