Emergex Notes U.S. Government Reports Highlighting the Importance of T-Cell Immunity in Controlling Viral Infections

U.S. federal appropriations reports encourage support for T-Cell vaccine approaches for pandemic influenza during the 2021 fiscal year

Abingdon, Oxon, UK, 28 January 2021 – Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited (‘Emergex’, or ‘the Company’), a company tackling major global infectious disease threats through the development of synthetic ‘set point’ vaccines which prime the T-Cell immune response, notes language directed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) included as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations measures in the U.S. House and Senate, which highlights the importance of T-Cell immunity in addressing pandemic influenza (flu).

The House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) Appropriations report, H. Rpt. 116-450, and Senate language issued along with a draft Senate Labor/HHS bill, encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to prioritize research, development, and manufacturing of T-Cell vaccine approaches to address pandemic flu, further recognizing the need to advance research in this field.

Professor Thomas Rademacher, CEO and co-founder of Emergex, commented: “Emergex has been investigating and building on the importance of T-Cell mediated immunity and looks forward to continuing research efforts in this promising area. We are encouraged by the recognition of the importance of a robust T-Cell immune response and its role in disease prevention. We view the appropriations language as supportive of our efforts as well as others who are advancing the field of T-Cell immunology. The new generation of vaccines will be focusing on the induction of proper T-Cell immunity and CD8+ T-Cell responses.”

Emergex Vaccines is currently developing a 100% synthetic and universal (seasonal and pandemic) influenza T-Cell vaccine, which is suited as an on-demand line of defense against a potential influenza pandemic, as well as protection against seasonal influenza strains. For decades, the focus of prophylactic vaccines was to elicit neutralizing antibodies, but it has become increasingly evident that T-Cell-mediated immunity plays a central role in obtaining a durable immune response. Growing evidence suggests that neutralizing antibodies fail to provide the desired long-term efficacy and protection against several viral infections, including influenza.

The House and Senate appropriations language was finalized on December 27, 2020, when President Trump signed into law The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, H.R. 133, a legislative package that combines $1.4 trillion in annual government funding and $900 billion in coronavirus relief measures.

The Senate language states:

T Cell-mediated Immunity.—T cell-mediated immunity plays a central role in controlling viral infections. To create a universal influenza vaccine, it is necessary that HHS prioritize research, development, and rapid manufacturing technologies that enable application of T cell vaccines as a complementary yet alternative approach to the use of vaccines containing live attenuated or killed micro-organisms.

The House language, included under the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), states:

Pandemic Influenza.—T cell-mediated immunity plays a central role in controlling viral infections. To create a universal influenza vaccine, the Committee encourages NIAID to prioritize research to facilitate the application of vaccines that induce strong cross-reactive T cell responses as a complementary or alternative approach to vaccines primarily designed to elicit an antibody response.

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