Shaperon Incorporated and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announced Wednesday a strategic partnership to develop affordable nanobody based therapies aimed at preventing malaria, targeting a disease that claims nearly 600,000 lives annually and afflicts over 260 million people worldwide.
The collaboration will leverage Shaperon's NanoMab platform to create antibody fragments approximately one tenth the size of conventional monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), enabling superior uptake and more precise targeting of the malaria parasite. These nanobodies offer potential cost effective solutions thanks to their higher stability and ability to be produced in bacteria rather than requiring more expensive mammalian cell systems.
The partnership originated from MMV's recognition of the South Korean biotechnology company's proprietary platform as a breakthrough innovation. Shaperon will use its unique nanobody libraries and high throughput screening capabilities to quickly identify anti malarial candidates for seasonal malaria chemoprevention, which involves administering preventive medicines to vulnerable populations during transmission seasons.
Professor Seung Yong Seong, founder and chief executive officer of Shaperon, described the collaboration as a turning point for the Seoul National University spinoff. He noted that support from MMV provides vital non dilutive funding that fuels research and development while positioning Shaperon as a global leader in nanobody based solutions for infectious diseases.
The project aims to develop a single dose messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) based passive immunization that can withstand high temperatures and be easily deployed in low and middle income countries. Unlike active vaccines that stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies, passive immunization delivers target specific antibodies directly to the body, offering immediate and durable protection against infection.
Brice Campo, senior director and head of biology and novel technologies at MMV, characterized the partnership as a significant addition to the organization's growing portfolio of innovative technology approaches aimed at identifying novel anti malarial products with potential to eradicate the disease. The collaboration will combine Shaperon's protein engineering expertise with MMV's deep experience in malaria and compound development.
The partnership will create specialized molecules that can either focus on a single parasite protein or act on several proteins to fight the organism at each stage of its lifecycle. This approach may also boost the immune system, leading to immunization against the parasite similar to how vaccines work.
Malaria primarily affects infants and children, as well as pregnant women and their unborn babies, mainly in sub Saharan Africa. The disease represents not just a public health crisis but also a massive economic strain on affected regions, as highlighted in recent reports on the risks of underinvestment in malaria control efforts.
The discovery and development of next generation medicines has become essential as the malaria parasite shows growing resistance to current treatments. Recent data indicates partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives has emerged in several African countries including Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, while isolated cases of resistance to partner drugs have been detected in both Asia and Africa.
MMV, established in 1999 as a Swiss not for profit product development partnership, works to deliver accessible medicines with the power to treat, prevent, and eliminate malaria. Since its founding, over 1.3 billion people have been effectively treated or protected from co developed medicines. The organization brings public and private sector partners together to pioneer solutions that align with local and global health priorities.
The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs will join MMV in funding the strategic research partnership to test and develop promising nanobodies, with the goal of turning them into affordable treatments deployable in vulnerable communities during malaria seasons. Shaperon operates an integrated discovery and evaluation infrastructure for nano antibodies and is advancing multiple candidates, including its lead asset NuGel, through clinical development in the United States and South Korea.