Prokarium's stated vision is that all protein vaccines can be delivered orally. Prokarium is based in Keele and London, UK.The firm has developed a proprietary synthetic biology platform, Vaxonella, that enables thermostable microbes to be taken orally, to then produce vaccines from inside the body's own immune cells. Vaxonella has 12-week thermostability at 400C. The only other known vaccine to remain stable at this temperature is the meningitis A vaccine MenAfriVac, but only for up to four days.
In February 2018 , Prokarium completed an investment round, raising $10 million for the clinical development of vaccines against chlamydia, C.difficile and enteric fever, in addition to an expansion for the immune-oncology R&D team. This financing round was led by Riyadh Valley Company, followed by Prokarium's original investor Flerie Invest as well as Korea Investment Partners.
Prokarium's development pipeline also includes a vaccine against plague, being taken into a phase 1 clinical trial under a SBRI contract funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and managed by Innovate UK, paving the way for new biodefence and epidemic preparedness applications.
Timeline
People
Further reading
Documentaries, videos and podcasts
Companies