Adjuvance Technologies Announces License and Collaboration 

Adjuvance Technologies, a member of Bio Nebraska, announced it has licensed TQL-1055 to ClearB Therapeutics for use in a vaccine for Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB).

Press Release by Adjuvance Technologies

Adjuvance Technologies Inc., a privately-held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a next-generation novel saponin adjuvant, announced today that the company has licensed TQL-1055 to ClearB Therapeutics, a company developing therapeutic vaccines designed to drive a functional cure for Hepatitis B, that will be combined with ClearB’s proprietary variants of HBsAg, CLB-405 and CLB-505. Pre-clinical data related to this therapeutic vaccine combination will be presented as posters at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) taking place in San Diego, CA, 15 – 19 November 2024. 

“ClearB is developing a game-changing vaccine for patients with Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB),” said Tyler Martin, MD, Director and CEO for Adjuvance Technologies, Inc. “Adjuvance is pleased that our novel saponin adjuvant, TQL-1055 is part of that vaccine. We look forward to supporting ClearB in their efforts to bring this vaccine forward to change the lives of the millions of persons impacted by CHB.” 

“We are excited to share preclinical data on our next generation therapeutic vaccine candidate with the Hepatitis B community,” said Aileen Rubio, PhD, CEO of ClearB Therapeutics. “Chronic Hepatitis B infection remains a substantial global health care problem in need of effective antiviral and immunomodulatory therapies. We continue to believe that the functional cure insights that were translated into the HBsAg variants, CLB-405 and CLB-505, could greatly benefit from the unique adjuvant properties of TQL-1055 and could become an important component of combination treatment regimens.” 

Abstract Number: 1308
Abstract Title: Tolerability and immunogenicity of HBsAg variants, CLB-405 and CLB-505, combined with a novel semi-synthetic saponin adjuvant TQL-1055, in New Zealand white rabbits
Date: Friday, 15 November 2024
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Presenter Name: Dr. Aditi Deshpande, ClearB Therapeutics 

Abstract Number: 1305
Abstract Title: CLB-405 and CLB-505 combined with a saponin based adjuvant TQL-1055 exhibits a strong antiviral and enhanced immune responses in a mouse model of persistent Hepatitis B infection
Date: Friday, 15 November 2024 
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Presenter Name: Dr. Aditi Deshpande, ClearB Therapeutics 

Abstract Number: 1307
Abstract Title: Sequential administration of siRNA with CLB-405 and CLB-505 HBsAg variants encoding clearance profile epitopes, combined with a novel adjuvant TQL-1055 exhibits significant anti-viral and T cell activity in an AAV/HBV mouse model
Date: Friday, 15 November 2024
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Presenter Name: Dr. Aditi Deshpande, ClearB Therapeutics 

For more information regarding the abstracts at AASLD 2024 please visit The Liver Meeting | AASLD 

About TQL-1055: TQL-1055 is a rationally designed, semi-synthetic analogue of the QS-21 saponin adjuvant, which is used in the currently available shingles vaccine. Saponin adjuvants are potent immune stimulators and important components of licensed, currently marketed, and clinically-advanced infectious disease vaccines. The usefulness of saponin adjuvants has been constrained by dose-limiting tolerability and manufacturing challenges. TQL-1055 is designed to have improved tolerability and to provide the same strong immune response as QS-21 and has shown favorable tolerability in a Phase 1 clinical trial. 

About Adjuvance Technologies: Adjuvance Technologies is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to making vaccines better through fundamental breakthroughs in adjuvant design, vaccine development, and manufacturing. Adjuvance creates and manufactures next generation proprietary adjuvants for other vaccine developers through licensing partnerships. 

Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, the company has received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and closed a Series A investment by Morningside Venture Investments. 

About ClearB Therapeutics: ClearB Therapeutics was founded in 2017 with technology licensed from the laboratory of Professor Stephen Locarnini and the Victoria Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. ClearB is developing therapeutic vaccines designed to promote functional cure of Hepatitis B. The work is grounded in proprietary insights derived from studying rare-event resolution in patients who suffer from chronic Hepatitis B infection. For more information, please visit https://clearbtherapeutics.com/.