Challenges with Current COVID-19 Vaccines

Many COVID-19 vaccines use mRNA created in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is made and used in protein production in all cells of our bodies every day. As such, our cells have mechanisms in place to ensure that no protein is made in quantities greater than needed. Certain side effects of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, such as cardiovascular events, may be the result of overexposure to mRNA from the vaccines.

A More Natural Approach to Protecting Against COVID-19

At Orbis, we are building on the excitement and success of these COVID-19 vaccines through the development of a more natural and efficient way to deliver mRNA to the immune system - one that would reduce or eliminate these side effects altogether. 

Our DNA vaccine approach overcomes the limitations of today’s mRNA vaccine technologies due to its high stability, durability of response (including enhanced T-cell immunity) and ease of manufacturing.

How It Started: A Proven Approach to Defeating Viruses and Disease

As soon as the virus was identified and its DNA was sequenced in mid-December 2019, our team immediately began work on a DNA vaccine to fight the virus.

From our work with the cancer immunotherapy vaccine, we know that generating a strong immune response against any antigenic target (like cancer or COVID-19) is one of the greatest challenges for a vaccine. It requires technology capable of providing a potent and highly efficient antigen presentation by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells.

We have met this challenge with Orbis' proprietary Yeast Cell Wall Particle (YCWP) delivery technology, which is not limited to the treatment of cancer.

We believe we can quickly respond to future pandemics, viruses and other biological threats by creating a vaccine employing our YCWP. Due to the ability of our technology, we can effectively deliver any type of antigen to the immune system through the use of our advanced YCWP to engage the dendritic cell.