News Article

Vaxin, Inc., receives $110k grant for anthrax vaccine project
Date: Jun 20, 2012
Author: Bryan Cohen
Source: BioPrepWatch ( click here to go to the source)

Featured firm in this article: Altimmune Inc of Gaithersburg, MD



Vaxin, Inc., a Birmingham, Alabama-based vaccine development company, has won a six-month, $110,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to continue work on an anthrax vaccine project.

The grant is a Phase I Small Business Initiative Research grant that the company plans to use to build additional technologies for its anthrax vaccine portfolio. Vaxin anticipates that it can create a more efficient and effective vaccine than is currently available, the Birmingham News reports.

"Vaxin is continuing to pursue the development of novel, easy to administer, safe vaccines against anthrax" Jianfeng Zhang, the principle investigator on the work at Vaxin, said, according to the Birmingham News. "This grant allows us to further explore novel antigens that may be more effective against this high priority agent."

In December, Vaxin won a $1 million grant from the Found Animals Foundation for the development of a vaccine that would serve as an alternative to neutering and spaying pets. In 2011, Vaxin received $14.7 million as part of a two year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is part of the National Institutes of Health.