DelSiTech Awarded a Grant to Develop Controlled and Sustained Release Injectables for Prophylactic HIV Vaccine

TURKU, Finland, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DelSiTech Ltd, a Finnish drug delivery and drug development company, today announces that it has been awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop long-acting injectable formulations ensuring the slow release of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine. This funding marks the third grant awarded from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to DelSiTech since 2018.

DelSiTech's proprietary Silica Matrix technology provides a controlled long-acting drug release without interfering with its therapeutic functions and is compatible with small molecules, alongside large biologics. The technology also has the potential to enable parenteral delivery of complex immunogens and adjuvants as well as mRNA encoding protein immunogens.  

"We would like to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its continued support in funding new strategies for HIV prevention for underserved populations. In the past, traditional approaches to develop HIV vaccines have failed to result in an effective product. The recent research in this field has led to a paradigm shift to develop an HIV vaccine with novel type of immunogens stimulating B cells of the immune system, aiming generate broadly neutralizing antibodies. Based on previous animal studies, this may require complex priming including prolonged exposure to the immunogen and DelSiTech's proprietary drug delivery technology has the potential to provide the necessary solution. Encapsulating HIV encoding mRNA using our Silica based matrix is especially exciting for us as the realization of this project will help shape a new era for vaccine development." said Dr. Lasse Leino, CEO of DelSiTech.

About DelSiTech

DelSiTech Ltd., located in Turku, Finland, is the leading technology specialist in biodegradable silica-based controlled release of small molecule drugs, biologics, and viral vectors. It develops and commercializes its proprietary, drug delivery technology in collaboration with a number of pharma and biotech companies to turn their ideas into novel drug products. For more information, see www.delsitech.com.

About DelSiTech Silica Matrix

Silica Matrix is an advanced delivery technology platform for parenteral and local administration of injectable and implant dosage forms as well as eye drops. The proprietary technology is based on silica (SiO2) matrix into which the molecule or therapeutic agent of interest is embedded using a process called sol-gel. The resulting Silica Matrix is non-porous, biocompatible and it can be designed to biodegrade by matrix dissolution at the desired rate to ensure a tightly controlled release of the active substance over periods of days up to many months or a year.