Ethris and Lonza Collaborate on Room-Temperature mRNA Vaccine for Nasal Delivery

• Ethris and Lonza have announced a collaboration to develop room-temperature stable, spray-dried mRNA-based vaccine candidates for mucosal delivery.

• The initial focus is a nasal mRNA vaccine candidate against influenza, combining Ethris’ RNA technology with Lonza’s particle engineering expertise.

Ethris, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has entered into a collaboration with Lonza, a global CDMO, to develop spray-dried, room-temperature stable mRNA-based vaccine candidates for mucosal delivery. The initiative aims to simplify vaccine distribution and administration, particularly for respiratory diseases.

The focus of the collaboration is to develop a first-in-class mRNA vaccine candidate for influenza that can be administered nasally. This method is designed to provide mucosal immunity at the site of virus entry, potentially reducing transmission and eliminating the need for needles.

The formulation will use Ethris’ stabilized non-immunogenic mRNA (SNIM® RNA) and stabilized lipid nanoparticles (SNaP LNP) platform. Lonza will provide spray-drying and particle engineering support at its Bend, US facility, which specialises in enhancing bioavailability and physical stability for respiratory delivery.

Spray-drying offers a pathway to eliminate cold-chain storage requirements, which have been a limiting factor in the distribution of some mRNA vaccines. It may also streamline production and reduce associated costs.

Dr. Carsten Rudolph, CEO of Ethris, stated: “Lonza’s support and leading expertise is an asset and provides unique support as we progress development of our mRNA vaccine technology under the CEPI grant.”

Jan Vertommen, Vice President, Head of Commercial Development, Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, said: “Spray-drying is a well-established method used to address challenges related to solubility, manufacturing, and stability. Applying this technique to DNA and RNA-based products is a highly innovative step, particularly due to the added complexity of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). By combining the particle engineering expertise of our Bend site with Ethris’ SNIM® RNA platform, we see strong potential to address unmet medical needs through non-invasive vaccine delivery.”