Our Vaccine

PGTx has the exclusive global rights to use the Aegis vaccine technology platform to develop and commercialize PGTx-SESC, a Salmonella Enteritidis-vectored vaccine for human dysenteric bacterial diseases including Shigella, E. coli (ETEC), non-typhoidal Salmonella, and Campylobacter. The Aegis vaccine technology utilizes recombinant technology for the insertion of pathogen epitopes into microbial vectors. These epitopes are “expressed” on the vector cell surface alongside immune enhancing proteins. The Aegis vaccines use highly conserved “universal” antigens which are protective across a range of pathogen strains and even related species.

 

How is PGTx-SESC different from traditional vaccines?

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Many existing “classical” vaccines offer protection against the specific pathogen strains used to make the vaccines. There is often little cross protection against other strains and protection against mutation and emerging variants may be minimal. Aegis vaccines offer broad spectrum cross-protection, reducing or eliminating the need for multiple vaccines, and they address the problem of mutation.

Many traditional vaccines are only effective as injectables and are labor intensive and costly to handle and administer. Our vaccine can be delivered orally or intranasally with low handling or administration requirements. Oral delivery is made possible by Hercules, a proprietary adjuvant delivery system that enhances mucosal immune responses to multiple antigens.

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Hercules, when orally administered, promotes secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) on mucous membranes which inhibits pathogen invasion at the site of attack and is effective even with inactivated vaccines. Hercules is particularly useful in directing antigens toward antigen presenting cells. 

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PGTx holds the global, exclusive rights to use Hercules in the PGTx-SESC vaccine.