Blue Water Vaccines Announces Collaboration with Instituto Butantan for the Development of BWV-101, a Universal Influenza Vaccine Candidate

CINCINNATI, May 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Water Vaccines, Inc. (“BWV” or “Blue Water Vaccines” or “the Company”) a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines, announces a collaboration with the multidisciplinary Center for R&D in Immunobiologics (“CeRDI”), an initiative of Instituto Butantan (“Butantan”). Through this partnership, Butantan, a leading Brazilian producer of immunobiologic products and vaccines, and BWV will develop the universal influenza vaccine candidate, BWV-101, in Brazil.

Instituto Butantan was approved for a grant from The State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) to develop BWV’s universal influenza vaccine candidate in Brazil. This project grant is part of a larger consortium across CeRDI to develop a centralized resource to achieve national autonomy in vaccines and biologics manufacturing and development. The consortium includes multiple research groups across universities, including the University of Oxford, along with other private companies. Through this collaboration, CeRDI commits to advance vaccines based on the adjuvant formulation and newer cell-culture based vaccines.

"We are incredibly honored to enter into this joint effort to develop our vaccine candidate in Brazil,” said Joseph Hernandez, Chairman and CEO of Blue Water Vaccines. “Instituto Butantan is a leading producer of vaccines in Brazil and is highly respected globally. We hope to scale new heights in vaccine manufacturing and development through this collaboration.”

Blue Water Vaccines is developing a universal influenza vaccine that could potentially provide lifelong protection from influenza, including pandemic strains like the 1918 pandemic and 2009 swine flu. Scientists from the University of Oxford identified epitopes of limited variability in the head domain of the haemagglutinin protein. These epitopes are targeted naturally by the immune system and vaccination studies have shown that regions of influenza viruses that circulated in 2006 and 1977 were able to protect against infection with an influenza virus that last circulated in 1934.

The vaccine is being produced using an E. coli expression platform allowing for a more cost effective and rapid production of the vaccine, compared to the current influenza production models.

About Blue Water Vaccines

Blue Water Vaccines, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformational vaccines to address significant health challenges globally. Headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, the company holds the rights to proprietary technology developed at the University of Oxford, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), and St. Jude Children's Hospital. The company is developing a universal flu vaccine that will provide protection from all virulent strains in addition to licensing a novel norovirus (NoV) S&P nanoparticle versatile virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine platform from CCHMC to develop vaccines for multiple infectious diseases, including norovirus/rotavirus and malaria, among others. Additionally, Blue Water Vaccines is developing a Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) vaccine candidate, designed to specifically prevent the highly infectious middle ear infections, known as Acute Otitis Media (AOM), in children. For more information, visit . 

About Instituto Butantan

Instituto Butantan is the main producer of immunobiological products and vaccines in Brazil. Instituto Butantan carries out scientific missions domestically and abroad through the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United Nations. The Institute collaborates with other agencies of the São Paulo State Secretariat of Health and the Brazilian Ministry of Health for the improvement of overall health in Brazil. It acts in partnership with various companies, universities and philanthropic entities for the achievement of its institutional objectives in public health. For more information please visit the Institute website at  or contact the press office at (+55 11) 2627-9606 / 9866 / 9426 or email to . 

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “expect,” and “intend,” among others. These forward-looking statements are based on BWV’s current expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to the development of BWV’s vaccine candidates, including, but not limited to BWV-301; the failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance with FDA regulations; delays and uncertainties caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to the timing and progress of clinical development of our product candidates; our need for additional financing; uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; uncertainties of government or third party payor reimbursement; limited research and development efforts and dependence upon third parties; and substantial competition. As with any vaccine under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. BWV does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Investors should read the risk factors set forth in BWV’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 31, 2022, and periodic reports filed with the SEC on or after the date thereof. All of BWV’s forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date thereof.

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