Baylor and Texas Children’s collaborate with Incepta Vaccine Ltd. to develop a COVID-19 vaccine for Bangladesh

Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital and Incepta Vaccine Ltd. today announced a licensing agreement for the development of a safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccine. 

Incepta Vaccine Ltd. is a vaccine manufacturing company founded in 2011 that provides high-quality vaccines to the population in Bangladesh and across the globe. Incepta has licensed a recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine technology developed by the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Incepta engaged in license negotiations with the BCM Ventures team, part of Baylor College of Medicine, after initial discussions about how the COVID-19 protein-based candidate could inform a vaccine to address the current pandemic needs in Bangladesh. The company’s track record as a vaccine manufacturer and its partnership with the International Vaccine Institute will be leveraged, leading to an accelerated, timely and successful development and commercialization of this vaccine candidate, which is currently produced using a proven yeast-based expression technology.

“Our COVID-19 vaccine technology is the best option for manufacturers to scale and produce as a public good for the globe, and therefore, it is an important step toward filling the COVID-19 vaccine access gap in Bangladesh, ” said Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital’s Center for Vaccine Development.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Incepta to help close the access gap of COVID-19 vaccine in Bangladesh,” said Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. “Our team of scientists is eager and ready to accelerate the transfer of our technology and co-develop a safe, effective and highly scalable COVID-19 vaccine.”

The Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development has already initiated the transfer of the technology to Incepta. The company has successfully scaled up the manufacturing process and currently is undertaking further product and clinical development, including a collaboration with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), a global organization with the mission to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global health.

“This vaccine technology transfer between Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Incepta, two longtime partners of IVI, is a remarkable step forward for increasing the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Bangladesh,” said Dr. Jerome Kim, director general of IVI. “Accessible COVID-19 vaccines are paramount to controlling the pandemic in all parts of the world, and IVI is delighted to help advance the clinical development of the vaccine with Texas Children’s Hospital and Incepta.”

“Incepta has always been keen to acquire new and innovative technology for vaccines so that new vaccines and existing vaccines can be manufactured with high quality and at lower cost,” said Abdul Muktadir, chairman of Incepta Vaccine Ltd. “We are delighted to have been able to get the support from all concerned, and Incepta is grateful to them for their contributions. Incepta has already developed a robust manufacturing process and all preparations are in the final stage for clinical development of this vaccine. Incepta has substantial production capacity, and this will ensure equitable access of a high-quality protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh and other developing nations.”