Vicebio closes $100m financing round to advance multivalent vaccine technology

London-based biopharmaceutical company Vicebio has announced a $100 million series B financing led by TCGX and with the participation of Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Avoro Ventures, venBio, UniQuest and Medicxi.

Vicebio is developing next-generation vaccines that target a wide range of respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), parainfluenza virus, influenza and coronaviruses. The company’s Molecular Clamp technology allows it to stabilize viral glycoproteins in their ‘prefusion’ conformation, before the virus enters the host cell. This protein conformation is highly immunogenic, eliciting a strong immune response to the vaccine.

The Molecular Clamp technology was originally developed at the University of Queensland in Australia, and is exclusively licensed to ViceBio by Uniquest, the university’s commercialisation company, which is behind the blockbuster cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil.

“The uniqueness of the Molecular Clamp technology lies in its broad applicability to multiple viruses, including RSV, hMPV, and PIV3. Unlike current monovalent RSV vaccines that require reconstitution and are not ready to use, this technology delivers high manufacturability and ready-to-use multivalent vaccines in prefilled syringes, a challenge that has been difficult to overcome until now,” said Emmanuel Hanon, Chief Executive Officer of Vicebio.

Vicebio was founded in 2019 by Medicxi, a UK-based healthcare-focused investment firm. The biopharmaceutical company launched out of stealth mode in 2022, and has since taken its lead vaccine candidate, VXB-241, into phase 1 clinical trials.

This bivalent vaccine targets RSV and hMPV, viruses that cause severe respiratory diseases in elderly patients and people with weakened immune systems. There is currently no commercially available vaccine against both viruses. In preclinical studies, the candidate has shown to induce high levels of neutralizing antibodies against these viruses. First readouts of the phase 1 study are expected in mid-2025.

The company’s pipeline also includes a trivalent vaccine candidate targeting RSV, hMPV and parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3), as well as a COVID-19 vaccine. Both of these vaccine candidates are currently in the preclinical stage.

“This is a highly experienced team with a breakthrough technology to address a critical public health need,” stated Cariad Chester, Managing Partner at TCGX. “Vicebio has a unique capability to advance vaccine products that simultaneously provide robust immune responses against multiple respiratory pathogens. We look forward to working closely with the team to bring these important vaccines to the market.”