Lemonex, a company pioneering mRNA and siRNA therapeutics, said on Thursday that it will unveil the preclinical results of its next-generation drug delivery system (DDS) and Covid-19 mRNA vaccine candidate at the Global Vaccine and Immunization Research Forum (GVIRF), scheduled to be held in Incheon, March 28-30. 

Lemonex will announce the preclinical results of LEM-mR203, its mRNA Covid-19 candidate vaccine developed using the company's nano-drug delivery platform, DegradaBALL. It is a three-dimensional porous nanoparticle mainly composed of silicon dioxide and is a next-generation DDS that can replace lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) which cause side effects such as myocarditis and anaphylaxis.

LNPs are currently used in Moderna and Pfizer's mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.

In January, the company said it submitted a clinical phase 1 trial investigational new drug (IND) application to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

"The GVIRF is a famous international conference where world-class international organizations, global pharmaceutical companies, and immunology experts share vaccine research results," said a Lemonex company official. "Our invitation to this conference is a testament to the high global interest in Lemonex's innovative technology."

The next-generation drug delivery platform, DegradaBALL, can solve the ultra-low-temperature distribution problem that made it difficult to distribute Covid-19 vaccines around the world, the company said. Also, the company holds a global patent which does not infringe on LNP's patent rights, it added.

CEPI is also investing heavily in innovative vaccine platforms and its CEO Richard Hatchet is endorsing several new vaccine projects. He said it was essential to develop a vaccine that can respond to emerging infectious diseases within 100 days.

The GVIRF, an invitation-only event, is jointly organized every two years by the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). 

This marks the fifth international conference which will invite key experts from the WHO, NIH, the BMGF, CEPI, UNICEF, IVI, Pfizer, Moderna, and BioNTech.

The main discussions will surround the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and the immunization agenda (IA2030) which are two key projects in the WHO’s vaccine strategy.