Centivax, Inc., a California-based biotechnology company developing vaccines and therapies, announced on Tuesday the close of an oversubscribed USD45m Series A financing round led by Future Ventures, with participation from NFX, BOLD Capital Partners, Kendall Capital Partners, Amplify Partners, Base4 Capital, and others.
The funds are to advance the company's lead candidate - a universal influenza vaccine - into Phase I clinical trials within eight months.
In addition to safety, the study will measure correlate-of-protection efficacy using the gold-standard hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay against a panel of more than twenty flu strains - including current 2024-2025 circulating strains, historical mismatch strains, and pandemic strains - in a direct head-to-head comparison with existing standard-of-care flu vaccines. The company says that because the HAI assay is the same correlate-of-protection used to license seasonal flu vaccines, positive data will provide a clear benchmark demonstrating the candidate's ability to deliver broad protection with a single vaccine.
'The Phase I trial gives us the opportunity to prove the Centivax platform technology works,' said Dr. Jerald Sadoff, MD, Centivax chief medical officer. 'We can demonstrate that the Centivax technology directs the immune system to focus on regions of pathogens that do not change across strains. This is valuable not just in flu, but for all rapidly mutating pathogens and other difficult targets in our portfolio.'
In preclinical studies in ferrets, pigs, cows, mice, rats, and human immune organoids, the company claims that Centivax technology consistently induced universal immunity to all tested influenza viruses, including the 2024-2025 H5N1 'bird flu.'
In addition to venture backing, Centivax has secured USD24m to date in competitive, non-dilutive awards - beginning with a USD2m 'Grand Challenge: End the Pandemic Threat' grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and followed by awards from CEPI, the National Institutes of Health, the Military Infectious Diseases Research Program, the U.S. Naval Medical Research Command, and others.
Tyra Biosciences to announce TYRA-300 preclinical results at ENDO 2025
Centivax raises USD45m to commercialise universal flu vaccine
Adcentrx Therapeutics' ADRX-0405 granted US FDA orphan drug designation
Avenzo Therapeutics doses first patient in AVZO-1418/DB-1418 Phase 1/2 clinical study
SCG Cell's SCG101V therapy Investigational New Drug Application receives Chinese regulatory approval
KalVista secures FDA approval for EKTERLY, first oral on-demand HAE treatment
BioDlink convenes peer advisory event on innovation and collaboration strategies
CyanVac's nasal COVID vaccine shows promise in phase 1 trial
Imfinzi approved in EU as first perioperative immunotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Akeso's bispecific ADC (Trop2/Nectin4 ADC) enters clinical trials
Brii Biosciences enters BRII-693 licensing agreement with Joincare Group in Greater China
Neurizon enters global license agreement with Elanco to commercialise NUZ-001
Ascletis doses first US participants in ASC30 Phase IIa study for obesity treatment
Jacobio's JAB-8263 Phase I/II Clinical Trial IND application receives Chinese regulatory approval