Triangle, NC — June 11, 2025 – Immorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., a leader in RNA-based therapeutics and vaccines, highlights its state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine platform in the open-access report Development of an Influenza/COVID-19 Combination mRNA Vaccine Containing a Novel Multivalent Antigen Design That Enhances Immunogenicity of Influenza Virus B Hemagglutinins published in MDPI Vaccines:

Website: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/6/628

PDF Version: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/6/628/pdf

The development of the mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccines remains challenging, in part because of the relatively low immunogenicity of influenza B hemagglutinin (HA) antigens.  The described systematic vaccine development strategy combined optimized vector and antigen designs.  Novel untranslated region (UTR) sequences and a hybrid poly(A) tail were used to increase plasmid stability and mRNA expression.  HA antigens were engineered to enhance the immune responses against influenza B lineage strains and to permit the expression of multiple HA ectodomains from a single mRNA strand.  The vaccine performance was verified in a traditional encapsulated lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation that requires long-term storage at temperatures below -15 °C as well as in a proprietary thermo-stable ready-to-use RTU LNP formulation developed for the long-term storage of the mRNA vaccines at 2–8 °C.  The RTU LNP technology has already been validated in Immorna’s clinical stage programs including JCXH-221, mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, JCXH-105, srRNA Shingles vaccine, and JCXH-108, an mRNA RSV candidate vaccine supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation.

In preclinical studies, the next-generation seasonal influenza vaccine tested alone or as a combination influenza/COVID-19 mRNA vaccine elicited hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers significantly higher than Fluzone HD^®, a commercial inactivated influenza vaccine comparator, across all 2024/2025 seasonal influenza strains, including the B/Victoria lineage strain.  At the same time, the combination mRNA vaccine demonstrated superior neutralizing antibody titers to 2023/2024 Spikevax, a commercial COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.  The published data demonstrate that the multimerization of antigens expressed as complex fusion proteins is a powerful antigen design approach that may be broadly applied toward mRNA vaccine development.

"This publication validates our novel approach to combination influenza/COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development, demonstrating excellent immunogenicity and stability," said Dr. Marcin Bungo, VP Head of RNA Development.  "Our findings highlight the potential of multivalent antigen design strategies to simplify vaccine manufacturing and improve efficacy of next-generation mRNA vaccines.  We extend our gratitude to Immorna R&D teams and collaborators, whose contributions were instrumental in achieving this milestone."

The MDPI Vaccines report underscores Immorna’s commitment to RNA vaccine innovations that address key challenges in infectious disease prevention.

About Immorna

Immorna is a rapidly expanding biotechnology company, focusing on the development of RNA-based therapeutics and vaccines. Immorna is utilizing multiple RNA platforms, including conventional, self-replicating and circular RNA. Since its founding in 2019, Immorna has built a robust CMC platform for RNA synthesis, purification, and analytical testing that is well suited for clinical and commercial development. In addition, with its state-of-the-art screening tools, Immorna has developed an arsenal of RNA delivery vehicles, including polymers and lipid nanoparticles featuring multiple proprietary ionizable cationic lipids suitable for intramuscular, intravenous and tissue-targeting delivery. Immorna has a growing intellectual property portfolio and a diverse clinical and R&D pipeline spanning cancer immunotherapy, infectious diseases, rare genetic diseases, and medical cosmetology.