Attivare Therapeutics said it has received a $6.6 million grant from the Gates Foundation to advance a next-generation malaria vaccine designed to deliver longer-lasting protection. The Natick, Massachusetts-based company said the program will use its proprietary ATTimmune bioscaffold platform to support slow-release delivery of vaccine components, with an emphasis on affordability and deployability in low- and middle-income countries where cold-chain constraints can limit vaccine access.
The project focuses on developing a durable malaria vaccine that can be more easily distributed and administered in settings with limited infrastructure. Attivare said its approach is intended to sustain antigen and adjuvant exposure over time through controlled release, potentially reducing the need for frequent boosters while improving the duration and breadth of protection.
Attivare’s ATTimmune platform is based on mesoporous silica rods licensed from bioengineer Dr. Dave Mooney of Harvard’s Wyss Institute. The company said these bioscaffolds assemble in vivo to form a three-dimensional immunomodulatory microenvironment that both sustains the release of vaccine components and recruits, modulates, and activates immune cells. Attivare positioned this mechanism as a way to fine-tune immune responses by controlling the dose and timing of multiple immunomodulatory agents, which it argues could be especially relevant for vaccines targeting evolving threats such as malaria.
The planned work includes clinical proof-of-concept studies aimed at evaluating whether controlled slow-release delivery can substantially increase the durability of malaria vaccine-driven immunity. Attivare framed the initiative within the broader goal of growing vaccine access and impact in regions bearing the highest malaria burden, particularly among children in Africa.
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“Our mission with this Gates Foundation funding is to harness the ATTimmune platform to create slow-release vaccines for critical global health needs,” said Dr. David Sherris, President and CEO of Attivare Therapeutics. “By enabling precise, sustained release of antigens and adjuvants, we aim to significantly extend the duration of vaccine-driven immunity, minimize the required dose and booster frequency, and maximize access for underserved populations. Our clinical proof-of-concept studies will examine the potential for dramatically increasing malaria vaccine durability by leveraging controlled slow-release delivery, with data indicating the potential for more potent, longer-lasting, and broader protection.”
“ATTimmune’s inherent biocompatibility and adaptability facilitates the release of diverse immunomodulatory agents with unparalleled control over dose and timing, an approach well suited for customizing vaccines against evolving global threats such as malaria.”
Dr. David Sherris, President and CEO, Attivare Therapeutics
“The MSR technology has shown promising results across cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious disease, including a clinical-stage therapeutic cancer vaccine. It enables targeted delivery, synergistic integration of molecules, and the fine-tuned orchestration of immune responses.”
Dr. Dave Mooney, Bioengineer, Harvard’s Wyss Institute
