• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Technologies.org

Technology Trends: Follow the Money

  • Technology Events 2023-2024
  • Sponsored Post
    • Make a Contribution
  • Technology Jobs
  • Technology Markets
    • Venture Capital
  • About
  • Contact

Medicago Announces Production of a Viable Vaccine Candidate for COVID-19

March 12, 2020 By admin Leave a Comment

Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, announced today that they have successfully produced a Virus-Like Particle (VLP) of the coronavirus just 20 days after obtaining the SARS-CoV-2 (virus causing the COVID-19 disease) gene. Production of the VLP is the first step in developing a vaccine for COVID-19, which will now undergo preclinical testing for safety and efficacy. Once this is completed, Medicago expects to discuss with the appropriate Health Agencies to initiate human trials of the vaccine by summer (July/August) 2020.

Medicago is also using its technology platform to develop antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in collaboration with the Laval University’s Infectious Disease Research Centre headed by Dr. Gary Kobinger, who helped develop a vaccine and treatment for Ebola. These SARS-CoV-2 antibodies could potentially be used to treat people infected by the virus. This research is being funded, in part, by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR).

Medicago is a leader in plant-based technology, having previously demonstrated its capability to be a first responder in a flu pandemic. In 2009, the company produced a research-grade vaccine candidate against H1N1 in just 19 days. In 2012, Medicago manufactured 10 million doses of a monovalent influenza vaccine within one month for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), part of the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2015, Medicago also demonstrated that it could rapidly produce an anti-Ebola monoclonal antibody cocktail for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The pace of our initial progress in COVID-19 is attributable to the capability of our plant-based platform, which is able to produce vaccine and antibody solutions to counteract this global public health threat. The ability to produce a candidate vaccine within 20 days after obtaining the gene is a critical differentiator for our proven technology. This technology enables scale-up at unprecedented speed to potentially combat COVID-19,” said Dr. Bruce Clark, CEO of Medicago.

Dr. Gary Kobinger, Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Infectious Disease Research Centre at Laval University, said “The collaborative efforts established between the research team at Laval University and Medicago have been very successful in developing unique antibodies against infectious diseases such as RSV and HMPV, and that experience gives us confidence for successful identification of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.”

Medicago’s first product, a seasonal recombinant quadrivalent VLP vaccine for active immunization against influenza, is currently under review by Health Canada following the completion of a robust safety and efficacy clinical program involving over 25,000 patients.

Medicago’s unique plant-based platform
The company uses a proprietary plant-based technology to develop protein-based therapeutics. Unlike traditional vaccination development, Medicago does not use animal products or live viruses to create its products. Instead, it uses Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) that mimic the shape and dimensions of a virus, which allows the body to recognize them and create an immune response in a non-infectious way. Clinical trial data suggest that VLPs have a multi-modal mechanism of action that is different from that of inactivated vaccines, activating both arms of the immune system – antibody and cell-mediated responses.

Medicago’s proprietary technology is rapid, versatile, and scalable. As soon as the genetic sequence of a virus is made available, Medicago can develop a clinical-grade vaccine candidate in only a few weeks. Its recombinant technology allows the production of a vaccine that precisely matches the circulating strains, such as in the case of seasonal influenza. The technology is easily scalable, allowing the company to increase volume of production by simply increasing the number of plants it uses.

Product portfolio and pipeline
Medicago’s first product, a Recombinant Quadrivalent Virus-Like Particle (QVLP) seasonal flu vaccine, is presently under review by Health Canada. Vaccine candidates for pandemic flu, rotavirus and norovirus are being tested across pre-clinical and Phase II clinical trials. Medicago is also developing antibodies against hMPV, RSV and Opioids.

Facilities
Medicago is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, and plans to produce COVID-19 vaccines and antibodies in its Quebec pilot plant to respond to the immediate short-term demand. The company also has a manufacturing facility in Durham, North Carolina (USA), which is currently dedicated to the production of vaccines and antibodies for its clinical trials and is expected to support the launch of the quadrivalent VLP influenza vaccine once it is approved. A new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant is under construction in Quebec City, which will be fully functional by 2023 and will have the capability to deliver up to 50 million doses of recombinant quadrivalent influenza vaccine per year.

About Medicago
Medicago is a biopharmaceutical company with more than 450 employees in Canada and the United States. Medicago’s mission is to improve global health outcomes by leveraging innovative plant-based technologies for rapid responses to emerging global health challenges. Medicago is committed to advancing therapeutics against life-threatening diseases worldwide. For more information: www.medicago.com

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: COVID-19 Vaccine, Vaccine COVID-19, coronavirus vaccine

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Market Analysis

The Growing Tin Market: Prospects for Future Demand and Sustainability
Prospects for the Growing Lithium Market in the Coming Years
DevOps and Agile: Integrating Development and Operations
China’s Use of Golden Shares: From Reducing State Role to Quietly Controlling Tech Giants
Why Amazon Acquired One Medical: Disrupting the Healthcare Industry with Technology-Enabled Care
The End of an Era: Why China is No Longer Viable as the World’s Factory
Cloudflare’s FedRAMP authorization opens up a huge market opportunity in the US government sector

Market Research Media

How plunging birthrates threaten national economies
Agile Leadership: Leading Agile Teams for Success
Chinese Brands Reach New Heights of Popularity in the West Amid Growing Political Tensions
Unrestricted Streaming: How VPNs Can Enhance Media Consumption Experience
How the world’s biggest companies have built and defended their moats
Virtual Learning Environments: A Game-Changer in Education?
Streaming video, training, and gaming coming together to form a cohesive and diverse media and entertainment ecosystem

Secondary Sidebar

Tech Events

Upcoming Technology Events of 2023
Space Symposium 2023, April 17-20, Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Yugabyte’s third annual Distributed SQL Summit (DSS) Asia, March 28, 2023
NVIDIA GTC, a global conference for the era of AI and the metaverse, March 20-23, 2023
Splash User Conference and Partner Summit will take place from April 17 to 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Venture Capital

African Venture Investment Soars to Record High, Fueled by Tech Startups
Pitchly Secures $7 Million Series A Funding for SaaS-Based Data Enablement Solution
Agile Project Management: Roles and Responsibilities
Candidly, a student debt and savings optimization platform, has raised $20.5 million in a Series B round of financing
GameTech Startups Attracting Venture Capital Funding: The Importance of VPN Security

Footer

Recent Posts

  • Hydrogen Technology: The Key to a Sustainable Future for the Cruise and Shipping Industries
  • Regenerative Finance: Shifting Towards Sustainable and Equitable Financial Systems
  • Why Arm Ltd May Build Its Own Semiconductor
  • Dragonfly Announces New Kubernetes Operator for In-Memory Datastore for Simplified Operations and Increased Performance
  • Cosmic Crops Return: Seeds Sent to Space to Develop Resilient Crops for a Warming World
  • AI Developer
  • Nvidia’s Lead in AI: Disrupting the Tech Industry
  • Canva Launches Brand Management Features and AI-Powered Design Tools to Empower Creatives and Professionals
  • Cloudflare Enters Fraud Detection Market with Cloudflare Fraud Detection
  • Devices utilizing Wi-Fi HaLow technology are gaining momentum

App Coding

A Career Roadmap for Mobile App Developers: Path to Success
Designing a Seamless Event Registration and Attendance Management App
The Most In-Demand Coding Skills for Freelancers: A Guide
App Coding for Multicloud: Challenges and Best Practices
Join Our Team as an App Coder - Build Cutting-Edge Applications

API Coding

How to teach yourself API coding
The Importance of API Programming in Today's Digital World
Using OpenAI ChatGPT API with Java
GSMA Launches Open Gateway Initiative to Provide Universal Access to Mobile Network APIs for Developers
Enterprise API Strategies: Understanding Adoption and Best Practices Survey

Blockchaining

Blockchain topics to be covered at DLD 2023
Discontinuation of TradeLens: The End of a Blockchain-Enabled Global Trade Platform by Maersk and IBM
Highlights: Blockchain Conference in Tel Aviv
Asia’s Premier Web3 Conference TOKEN2049 Returns to Singapore in September 2023
Building a Secure and Decentralized Blockchain API: A Step-by-Step Guide

Event Calendar

PCIM Europe 2023, May 9-11, 2023, Nuremberg Exhibition Center, Nuremberg, Germany
Interwire Trade Exposition, May 9-11, 2023, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA
ProMat 2023, the leading trade show for the manufacturing and supply chain industry, March 20-23 2023, Chicago’s McCormick Place
Prints 2023, Printing Conference, March 3, 2023
Milan Design Week 2023, April 17-23 2023, Milan, Italy

Copyright © 2022 Technologies.org

Media Partners: Market Analysis & Market Research and Exclusive Domains

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT