Adjuvants and vaccine delivery systems are essential to the growth of the vaccine industry, both for marketed products and for those in development. Adjuvants add value by allowing the development of products that would not have been viable without an appropriate formulation. Adjuvants and vaccine delivery technology have many other advantages as well, including improved safety and efficacy, improved patient compliance and ease of use, and the potential for expanded indications and an extending patent life.

Alba’s approach to the development of adjuvants and vaccine delivery systems is focused on mucosal vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases. Alba’s lead pre-clinical candidates, AT-1002 and AT-1004, are effective mucosal delivery agents that allow antigen passage through the mucosal barrier and stimulation of an antigen-specific immune response, while avoiding any of the toxicity associated with classical adjuvants.

Mucosal vaccination has several advantages over parenteral vaccination, including the induction of an immune response at the site of administration. Furthermore, immunization at one mucosal site can induce specific responses at distant sites, providing protective mucosal immunity. In addition to local responses against mucosally-acquired pathogens, mucosal vaccines induce systemic immunity, including humoral and cell-mediated responses. The administration of mucosal vaccines does not require the use of needles, increasing vaccine compliance, reducing logistical burden, and minimizing the risks of blood transmissible infections.