CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxxinity, Inc. (Nasdaq: VAXX), a U.S. company pioneering the development of a new class of medicines, today announced a collaboration with the University of Central Florida (UCF) to advance space medicine research. The research, funded by a grant from the State of Florida, aims to further the development of Vaxxinity’s active immunotherapies to prevent and mitigate muscle and bone wasting, which are well known health challenges related to long-term spaceflight, and which share biological mechanisms implicated in highly prevalent age-related diseases.

“If humanity is to become a spacefaring species, solving fundamental problems related to space travel and living are table-stakes. Vaxxinity is all-in on developing and commercializing these solutions, and working with the State of Florida and UCF, collectively, we strive to promote both healthy aging and ensure humanity can become multi-planetary, brave low gravity exposure, and be of the stars,” says Lou Reese, Executive Chairman of Vaxxinity. “The support for this research from the State of Florida exemplifies a commitment to pioneering solutions in the fields of space travel, as well as longevity and age-related diseases.”

Research will include studies to assess the effects of Vaxxinity’s active immunotherapies on undisclosed proteins implicated with bone and muscle growth through in vitro and in vivo experiments, and animal models established by UCF.

Vaxxinity’s platform is designed to harness and selectively activate the immune system by overcoming immune tolerance, stimulating the production of antibodies against endogenous targets. The company will provide materials including candidates derived from its platform to support the collaborative research at UCF.

“UCF was born as a university to support the space program, and the College of Medicine is continuing that mission, working to bring back to Earth the secrets that space medicine research can reveal,” said Dr. Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and dean of UCF’s College of Medicine. “We look forward to collaborating with Vaxxinity on this research and applying their unique technology to benefit the aging population on our planet and future space travelers.”

Reese concluded, “The research we are doing targeted towards space-based physical challenges is directly translatable to issues faced by humanity here on Earth. We know what we do for tomorrow will yield results for today.”

About Vaxxinity

Vaxxinity, Inc. is a purpose-driven biotechnology company committed to democratizing healthcare across the globe. The company is pioneering a new class of medicines aimed at disrupting the existing treatment paradigm for chronic disease, increasingly dominated by monoclonal antibodies, which suffer from prohibitive costs and cumbersome administration. The company’s proprietary technology platform has enabled the innovation of novel synthetic peptide immunotherapy candidates designed to bring the efficiency of vaccines to the treatment of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, migraine, and hypercholesterolemia. The technology is also implemented as part of a COVID-19 vaccine program. Vaxxinity has optimized its pipeline to achieve a potentially historic, global impact on human health.

For more information about Vaxxinity, Inc., visit http://www.vaxxinity.com and follow us on social media @vaxxinity.

About UCF

The University of Central Florida is a public metropolitan research university in Orlando that unleashes the potential of people and ideas to positively change the world. UCF’s world-class faculty bring academic and industry expertise and innovative research to the classroom, educating and inspiring the talent that fuels America’s economy and solves society's greatest challenges. Founded in 1963 to support the U.S. space program, UCF today enrolls more than 68,000 students, offers 240 degree programs and is shaping the future of engineering and computer science, optics, modeling and simulation, healthcare, hospitality, digital media and many other industries. U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF as the No. 14 most innovative university in the country. Washington Monthly ranks UCF as the No. 36 best university in the nation and among the top 20 schools in the nation for social mobility, recognizing UCF’s efforts to empower student success through innovative efforts that engage and support student learning, service and research.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of certain words, including "believe," "may," "continue," "advancing," "will" and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements, other than statements of historical fact, regarding, among other things: the plans for, or progress, scope, initiation, duration, enrollment, results or timing for availability of results of, development of any of Vaxxinity’s product candidates or programs; the target indication(s) for development or approval, the size, design, population, location, conduct, cost, objective, enrollment, duration or endpoints of any clinical trial, or the timing for initiation or completion of or availability or reporting of results from any clinical trial; the potential future regulatory authorization or approval and commercialization of Vaxxinity’s product candidates; the potential benefits or competitive position of any Vaxxinity product candidate or program or the commercial opportunity in any target indication; and Vaxxinity’s plans, expectations or future operations, financial position, revenues, costs or expenses. These forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including statements that are based on the current expectations and assumptions of Vaxxinity’s management about the development of a new class of immunotherapeutic vaccines and the innovation and efficacy of Vaxxinity’s product candidates. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: whether UB-311, UB-312, UB-313, VXX-401, UB-612 or any other current or future product candidate of Vaxxinity will be approved or authorized by any regulatory agency for the indications that Vaxxinity targets; any potential negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including on manufacturing, supply, conduct or initiation of clinical trials, or other aspects of Vaxxinity’s business; Vaxxinity’s product candidates may not be successful or clinical development may take longer and be more costly than anticipated; product candidates that appeared promising in earlier research and clinical trials may not demonstrate safety or efficacy in larger-scale or later clinical trials or in clinical trials for other indications; the timing for initiation or completion of, or for availability of data from, clinical trials for UB-311, UB-312, UB-313, VXX-401 or UB-612, and the outcomes of such trials; Vaxxinity’s reliance on collaborative partners and other third parties for development of its product candidates; Vaxxinity’s ability to obtain coverage, pricing or reimbursement for any approved products and acceptance from patients and physicians for any approved indications; delays or other challenges in the recruitment of patients for, or the conduct of, Vaxxinity’s clinical trials; challenges associated with supply and manufacturing activities; and Vaxxinity’s accounting policies. These and other important factors to be considered in connection with forward-looking statements are described in the "Risk Factors" section of Vaxxinity’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2023. The forward-looking statements are made as of this date and Vaxxinity does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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