Vaccination Rush 💉

Vaccination Breakthrough
While the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine breakthrough is rippling a new wave of hope in the battle against COVID-19, a number of private biotech companies are also ramping up vaccination development programs to battle the pandemic. While the vaccine-creation process is time-consuming, numerous startups are using their expertise and capabilities to find and develop technology-driven solutions targeting the virus at different stages and using different methodologies. Here’s a list of companies that have caught mainstream and investor attention in their fight against COVID-19.

HTD BioCorp 

• This Seattle biotech company received a government grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of $8.3MM in September and in October earned another $3MM in seed funding led by Zoic Capital.
• The funds will be used to support the continued development of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, HDT-301, and is slated to enter clinical trials in Q4 in partnership with the NIH/NIAID.

Codagenix

• A small and mighty 11 person team from Long Island, NY is developing a vaccine made from a live-attenuated (aka weakened) version of the COVID-19 virus. 
• It received $20MM in Series B funding in January this year. 
• The company is also slated to start clinical trials soon after promising animal testing results. A live version of the virus is said to provide stronger protection in the long run. 

Meissa Vaccines

• San Francisco-based Meissa is starting preclinical studies and manufacturing of a vaccine against COVID-19. Like Codagenix, the virus will be live attenuated but will be delivered through the nose instead. 
• The company’s last round of funding was a Series A funding in September 2019 of $30MM. 

Buoy Health

• Although not focused on vaccination treatment but rather a healthcare navigation tool powered by AI, the company offers COVID-19 assessment tools that ultimately directs patients to healthcare treatments and is said to have assessed 1 million Americans during the pandemic. 
• The company received a $37.5MM Series C funding on Tuesday, November 10 from Cigna Ventures, Humana, and Optum Ventures, rare funding from multiple health insurance companies.