ENTOS ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF US-BASED SPINOUT COMPANY AEGIS LIFE TO SUPPORT ITS GLOBAL VACCINE COMMERCIALIZATION STRATEGY AND SIGNS LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH NTC TO USE NANOSPLASMID VECTOR TECHNOLOGY IN VACCINES

Published by: Aegis Life


EDMONTON, AB, October 15, 2020 – Entos Pharmaceuticals (Entos), a Canadian biotechnology company developing nucleic acid medicines with its breakthrough proprietary Fusogenix drug delivery platform, is pleased to announce the launch of its USA-based spinout company Aegis Life, Inc. (Aegis). Aegis is dedicated to the development, manufacturing, and global distribution of novel DNA vaccines using Entos’ Fusogenix technology. Their most advanced program is a novel DNA vaccine designed to generate durable immunity against SARS-CoV-2, and Aegis is now pursuing US and international investment to support rapid development of its lead vaccine candidate.

Entos’s team of Canadian scientists have developed Fusogenix as a platform to effectively and safely deliver nucleic acid medicines directly inside cells as therapeutics for cancers and other diseases. Fusogenix technology enables researchers to rapidly prototype vaccine candidates and allows for modular, large scale manufacturing, both of which are ideal characteristics for the rapid development of DNA-based vaccines in response to SARS-CoV-2 and other future human pathogenic viruses.

As part of a new agreement with Nature Technology Corporation (NTC), Aegis Life and Entos will use NTC’s proprietary Nanoplasmid™ plasmid DNA technology and manufacturing platform for the clinical and commercial production of theirSARS-CoV-2 vaccine, as well as other DNA vaccine candidates. In preclinical studies, NTC’s Nanoplasmid™ vector expressing the SARS-CoV-2spike protein induced potent humoral immunity, and a durable and balanced cell-mediated response against SARS-CoV-2. The Nanoplasmid™ vector is small, non-immunogenic, and designed to provide optimal expression of genes for vaccine or therapeutic development. It uses a simple sugar for strain selection, making this a superior vector for GMP manufacturing of clinical-stage vaccine candidates.

“Over the course of more than ten years of focused R&D, we engineered Fusogenix technology to effectively and safely deliver nucleic acid cargo directly inside cells. It is the ideal platform to address this global crisis by allowing the development and manufacture of millions of doses of safe, stable and effective vaccines for people worldwide,” said John Lewis, CEO, Entos Pharmaceuticals. “We’re excited to launch Aegis Life in the US and to license the use of NTC’s Nanoplasmid vector technology to manufacture this vaccine as well as future vaccines and therapeutics.”

Aegis is actively seeking funding from government and investors to:

  • Advance its DNA-based vaccine candidates targeting SARS-CoV-2 into and through late-stage clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness
  • Accelerate the scaling of commercial manufacturing capacity to produce millions of vaccine doses
  • Facilitate international distribution of vaccine doses to the global population.

About Nature Technology Corporation
Nature Technology Corporation (NTC) provides safe and effective products to enhance nucleic acid-based gene therapeutics, and DNA vaccines, as well as process technology to aid in the manufacturing of these products.  NTC’s proprietary products include antibiotic-free selection vectors (RNA-OUT), and Nanoplasmids™, both of which can be used in non-viral and viral vector derived gene therapy and cell therapy biologics. NTC also provides cost effective outsourcing of product development services including custom gene design, vector construction, retrofitting, plasmid DNA manufacturing and recombinant proteins. For more information about NTC products and business related inquiries, visit www.natx.com or contact Deborah Moorad-Watts, CEO, Nature Technology Corp. by email at dmoorad@natx.com.

AboutAegis Life, Inc.
At Aegis Life, we develop the next generation of DNA vaccines andtherapies for the world’s most dangerous diseases, including COVID-19. Thisnon-viral gene delivery platform allows us to rapidly prototype and advance DNAmedicines through the clinical trial process. For more information, visit www.aegis.life

AboutEntos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Entos develops next generation nucleic acid-based therapies using itsproprietary Fusogenix drug delivery system. Fusogenix is a proteo-lipid vehicle (PLV) formulation that uses a novelmechanism of action to deliver molecules, intact and unmodified, directly intothe cytosol of target cells. The technology applies a wide range of therapeutictypes including gene therapy, mRNA, miRNA, RNAi, CRISPR and small molecule drugs. For more information, visit www.entospharma.com.