Dyadic, Afreximaxbank partner to bolster affordable vaccine production

Dyadic will use its C1 platform in partnership with Rubic One Health and Afreximaxbank to manufacture vaccines in South Africa. 

Dyadic International, a firm focused on building microbial protein production platforms, said the partnership aims to develop and produce affordable vaccines suitable for use in humans and animals in Africa.  

C1 is Dyadic’s patented and proprietary platform based on the fungus Myceliophthora thermophila. The platform is used in the industrial enzyme space and the firm claims it can achieve productivity as high as 80 grams per liter for a single enzyme with high purity. 

DepositPhotos/jjvallee

“We are excited as Rubic has secured resources to accelerate the development of critical human and animal health vaccines and biologics in furtherance of its mission to develop an end-to-end solution for biologic vaccines and drugs that addresses the significant health gap in Africa,” said Mark Emalfarb, CEO for Dyadic.  

“In addition to taking a step forward in providing affordable vaccine and antibody solutions for the African continent, we expect this agreement will also expand potential opportunities for the commercialization of multiple products for animal and human health using the company’s proprietary and patented C1 platform.” 

In April 2023, Dyadic expanded its licensing agreement with Rubic One Health to develop and commercialize vaccines and biologics for Africa. The financials for this partnership included equity stake in Rubic and royalties after commercialization of the vaccine. 

“Africa imports approximately 96% of its vaccines and has very limited manufacturing capacity […] there is a significant vaccine inequity in Africa, and that we are at the mercy of big pharma and developed countries. This historic agreement with Afreximaxbank to fund the project preparatory facility for the manufacture of vaccines has the potential for affordable vaccines for Africans by Africans, which is now a step closer to reality,” said Julian Naidoo, CEO for Rubic One Health. 

Since 2015, Dyadic International has focused on bringing the C1 gene expression platform to the biomanufacturing space, and the firm has struck numerous deals with partners including Luina Bio, Novovet, Alphazyme, and Sanofi.