Virax Biolabs is diagnostics and detection company developing T-Cell immunology technology platform to provide early diagnosis and detection for post acute infection syndromes such as Long COVID and indications associated with chronic inflammation and T cell exhaustion. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Virax Biolabs COO Nigel McCracken to learn more about the company.
Formation Of Virax Biolabs
How did the idea for the company come together? McCracken said:
“The idea for Virax Biolabs emerged from observing a trend in the biotechnology and diagnostics sector towards early diagnosis. We see early diagnosis as the next frontier in healthcare’s next stage of development. Recognizing that early diagnosis leads to better survival rates and lower health costs, especially in aging populations, our company realized the need for a solution.”
“Virax is at the forefront of a significant change into preventive care, and this is why we started conducting research into Immunology, T-Cell testing and ultimately what became our ViraxImmune Platform. We hope to be a key player in the shift from reactive to proactive care and in doing so assist in a paradigm shift in healthcare broadly speaking.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? McCracken explained:
“Virax Biolabs’ core product is our novel and versatile ViraxImmune Platform, which seeks to provide early diagnosis for post acute infection syndromes and conditions associated with chronic inflammation and T-Cell exhaustion, including post-viral syndromes such as Long COVID.”
“The platform focuses on T-Cell testing and immune profiling: our adaptable platform uses peptide pools to activate memory T-Cells, allowing users to measure the cytokine release profile specific to a wide range of infections – the development process for our portfolio involves an expanded panel of cytokines, including IL-2, IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. By employing FluoroSpot detection to provide higher resolution of cellular immune responses, the platform is poised to offer a more comprehensive assessment than traditional technologies such as ELISA and flow cytometry.”
“At present, our products are research-use-only (RUO). However, we know that by focusing on pre-emptive assessments of immune risk, our platform is well-positioned to deliver the in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs) that can shift medical focus from event-driven diagnostics to a more proactive approach, helping healthcare providers to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health and take ownership of safeguarding their immunity.”
Evolution Of Virax Biolabs’ Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? McCracken noted:
“Since our initial launch of our Early Access Program SARS-CoV-2 T-Cell test, Virax Biolabs has significantly expanded its technology to address a broader range of immune-related conditions. Starting with our renewed focus on Long COVID, the augmented ViraxImmune™ Platform looks to offer adaptable testing across multiple infections and conditions, beyond just SARS-CoV-2, allowing us to meet diverse research and diagnostic needs. By leveraging features such as advanced cytokine profiling and FluoroSpot technology, our ViraxImmune™ Platform is an advanced solution that has flexible scope that will allow it to further evolve to detect some of our most pressing health threats.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? McCracken cited:
“2024 has been a year marked by strong progress: at the beginning of the year, we were excited to initiate our research collaboration with the University of Manchester and the Northern Care Alliance Trust; a part of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. This important partnership enables their researchers to apply our ViraxImmune RUO Platform to investigate T-Cell immune responses in COVID patients participating in the ImRESP (Immunology of Respiratory Conditions) study.”
“Additionally, as we have alluded to previously, we were so excited to unveil our ImmuneSelect portfolio of RUO products in Barcelona at this year’s European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global (ESCMID) Congress. This range includes peptide pools covering epitopes from pathogens linked to post-viral syndromes, such as SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2 MHC-1 (CD8), Lyme Disease, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and soon to include other indications such as H5N1 or better known as Avian Influenza.”
“There are even more exciting advancements in our pipeline – we cannot wait to share as they come to fruition.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing for Long COVID? McCracken assessed:
“There is a substantial total addressable market (TAM) for our initial Long COVID diagnostic, driven by a significant unmet medical need and economic impact. In the United States, an estimated 20 million people experience symptoms of Long COVID, while there are an estimated 2 million sufferers in the United Kingdom with 36 million affected in Europe. Yet, despite the large affected population, there are currently no tests available to diagnose Long COVID. As these numbers increase each year, there is a sizable disease burden that we hope that our future diagnostic tools would be able to help identify, facilitating actionable research and treatment plans.”
“This lack of diagnostic tools means individuals remain undiagnosed for extended periods, suffering from debilitating symptoms that lead to a loss of income and productivity, and increased healthcare costs. In the U.S. alone, the loss of productivity is estimated at $50 billion. Additionally, the NIH has committed $1.15 billion to Long COVID research through the RECOVER initiative, highlighting the significant focus and investment in addressing this issue. The UK has committed £314 million towards care services for the NHS.”
“The economic costs of Long COVID are also substantial, with an estimated $141-316 billion loss of earnings and a $723 billion cost associated with reduced quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), according to the OECD. Non-hospitalized patients incur excess medical costs of 50-70%, and those hospitalized face costs 5-10 times higher, per the CDC. Long COVID patients in the UK are estimated to incur at least £23 million extra costs in general practitioner and other primary care consultations alone.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? McCracken affirmed:
“Virax Biolabs sets itself apart from the competition thanks to our innovative ViraxImmune Platform, which offers several unique advantages that we’ve spoken to previously:
1.) Adaptable Testing: The ViraxImmune™ Platform is designed to detect the body’s adaptive immune response to a wide range of infections and conditions, not limited to a single disease. This versatility allows us to address diverse research and diagnostic needs related to chronic inflammation and T-Cell exhaustion.
2.) Advanced Cytokine Profiling: Unlike existing technologies that confine cytokine assessment to a limited range, ViraxImmune™ uses an expanded panel of cytokines to facilitate the comprehensive profiling that allows us to generate deep insights into immune responses related to indications associated with chronic inflammation and T-Cell exhaustion.
3.) FluoroSpot Detection Method: The platform employs the established, state-of-the-art FluoroSpot detection method, which offers higher resolution of cellular immune responses than other comparable technologies. This mechanistically allows for the detection and quantification of multiple cytokine-secreting cells, enhancing our ability to gather an understanding of complex immune dynamics.
From these core strengths, we believe that our platform is well-positioned to provide unparalleled insights into the most pressing complex diseases and infections of our time.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? McCracken concluded:
“Our core strategic focus continues to be on leveraging our ViraxImmune Platform to spearhead development and commercialization of immune profiling IVDs for Long COVID, CMV, RSV, and other infectious diseases. We are excited to work to move beyond RUO applications, to progress towards products that have full-fledged diagnostic capability.”
