Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics Highlights New Data for LHNVD-303 its Bacterial Sepsis Vaccine at IDWeek 2024

BETHESDA, Md. & GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics, a One Health company developing vaccines and diagnostic tools for global public health and zoonosis concerns, will present new data at IDWeek 2024 focused on LHNVD-303, the company's patented universal bacterial sepsis vaccine candidate. LHNVD-303 targets conserved bacterial components, including peptidoglycan (PGN), lipoteichoic acid (LTA), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), found across gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as mycobacteria. As cell wall components that have been studied for decades, LTA, LPS, and PGN play key roles in bacterial infections, bacterial sepsis, and inflammatory disease. IDWeek 2024 is taking place in-person in Los Angeles, California from Oct. 16-19, 2024.

The study on LHNVD-303, an adjuvanted composite peptide vaccine with highly conserved epitopes to LTA, LPS, and PGN shows promising preclinical results. This multi-bacterial and toxin approach looks to overcome challenges from previous products that targeted single targets. Key findings include:

• Robust and broad polyclonal serum IgG1 antibodies generated by LHNVD-303 bound both live and fixed gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as mycobacteria.
• Antibodies to LTA and LPS have demonstrated opsonophagocytic killing in previous studies and clinical trials, so this study completes the picture by demonstrating a monoclonal antibody targeting PGN, MD-11, with enhanced opsonophagocytic killing for both staphylococci and mycobacteria.

“AMR poses a threat to millions with high rates of deaths globally, so new approaches that target clearance of both the bacteria and their toxins are essential,” said Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics President Jeff Fischer. “Active immunization with LHNVD-303, or passive immunization with the corresponding extended half-life monoclonal antibodies could greatly reduce the use of antibiotics, and the global burden of sepsis and other debilitating inflammatory diseases.”

For more information about Longhorn, visit www.LHNVD.com.

About Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics

Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics is a closely held One Health company based in Maryland that is developing broad coverage vaccines and diagnostic tools for worldwide public health concerns such as anti-microbial resistance, sepsis and to prevent future pandemics. Since its inception in 2006, Longhorn has focused on developing broad coverage vaccines and diagnostic tools that can impact a pandemic on a global scale and at all socio-economic levels. Since pandemics flow between humans and animals, Longhorn products play a significant role to surveil, diagnose, prevent and treat the next infectious disease.

Longhorn’s core diagnostic product, PrimeStore® Molecular Transport Medium (MTM), is a patented, FDA cleared, state-of-the-art ambient temperature molecular diagnostic collection and transport device that can help governments, global health organizations, and drug manufacturers improve the diagnosis and treatment of highly infectious diseases such as Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). Unlike standard devices for collecting and transporting virus samples, PrimeStore® MTM is the first molecular transport device that can safely deactivate pathogens and stabilize RNA and DNA, allowing enhanced point of care and ambient temperature transport for laboratory based molecular testing and characterization.