OMV-Vacc technology: versatility and innovation

Intravacc is at the forefront of vaccine innovation and development for infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and oncology leveraging our proprietary Outer Membrane Vesicle (OMV) platform.

OMV-Vacc at a glance

About

The OMV-Vacc technology is based on the Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) of gram-negative bacteria and is designed for the development of prophylactic vaccines.
OMVs are spherical particles that are naturally released by gram-negative bacteria.
Intravacc develops three types of OMV vaccines: homologous OMVs, heterologous OMVs, and click/mix OMVs.
Corroborated by 84 scientific publications and covered by 8 patent families.

Application areas

Bacterial, viral, and parasitic infection
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Oncology

Understanding Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs)

Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) are naturally occurring, spherical particles, typically ranging in size from 20 to 200 nanometers. They are released by gram-negative bacteria and contain bacterial antigens.

Interview on our OMV platform

Read our latest publication about our Outer Membrane Vesicle (OMV) platform: an insightful interview with our VP of R&D, Dinja Oosterhoff, PhD

Download interview

The advantages of OMV-Vacc:

Non-replicating: OMVs do not replicate, making repeat vaccinations safer
Proven safety: with LPS detoxification, OMVs have a solid safety profile
Effective: intrinsically elicits a strong innate and adaptive immune response
OMV Stability: maintain integrity, simplifying transport and long-term storage
High yield: our platform has an optimized production efficiency
High purity: our platform includes well-established and scalable purification steps
Versatility: our platform allows combining OMVs with different antigen types

Intravacc's OMV Expertise

We back our OMV technology with expertise demonstrated through 84 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and 8 patent families since 2013. We've developed genetic tools to increase OMV yield, minimize toxicity, and tailor antigenic composition. Our scalable platform allows efficient antigen composition modifications through genetic manipulation or association with carrier OMVs. Several of our vaccines under development build on the OMV platform. Currently, we are actively working on the development of a vaccine for gonorrhea and COVID-19.

See which of our vaccine candidates build on OMV-Vacc.

View pipeline

Using OMVs in Vaccines

Intravacc offers three types of OMV-based vaccines, each designed to target specific diseases and antigens:

Homologous OMVs: These vaccines are derived directly from the target Gram-negative bacteria, offering broad protection by the natural incorporation of numerous antigens.
Heterologous OMVs: For when direct production of OMVs is impractical, we have developed a technology to express antigens within our OMV platform that enables vaccine production.
Click/Mix OMVs: This approach is used when antigen expression within the bacterium is not possible, for example due to post-translation modifications of antigens. OMVs are adorned with immunogenic peptides or small proteins to facilitate adaptive immunity. Larger proteins can simply be mixed with OMV. In this case, the OMV functions as an adjuvant. Our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is an example of the latter that is currently being tested in a phase I clinical study.

Intravacc is your trusted partner for OMV-based vaccine development. Our focus is on providing accurate, evidence-based solutions for scientists and researchers dedicated to addressing infectious diseases.

Learn more about our OMV platform.

Download vaccsheet

Discuss your project with one of our experts.

Pertussis OMV vaccine: Licensed to Chongqing Zhifei, China

Dr. Yao Lei, Head R&D, Zhifei

“Worldwide resurgence of whooping cough calls for improved, next-generation pertussis vaccines that induce broad and long-lasting immunity. A pertussis vaccine based on outer membrane vesicles is a promising candidate. We have successfully in-licensed the pertussis OMV technology from Intravacc recently. Our efforts are focused on advancing this innovative vaccine technology through the clinical pipeline, with the aim of combatting the resurgence of whooping cough using Pertussis Vaccine based on OMV technology”.

Picture:The team of Dr. Yao Lei (in the middle) and the team of Intravacc during the technology transfer at Intravacc in Bilthoven, The Netherlands, in June 2023.