AlpexBio joins Korean ARPA-H project to develop long-term mRNA vaccines

AlpexBio, an mRNA and self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) platform specialist, has been selected as a joint research and development institution for the ‘ENDUREx’ project under the Korean ARPA-H initiative. This high-risk, high-reward national R&D program, managed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, aims to address critical health security challenges with a total budget of 1.16 trillion KRW through 2032.

The ENDUREx project focuses on developing a next-generation RNA-based vaccine platform capable of maintaining defensive immunity for over 10 years against at least three different variants with only one or two doses. This aims to overcome the limitations of current mRNA vaccines, which often require frequent booster shots due to short-lived immunity.

AlpexBio will collaborate with a consortium including Chonnam National University to combine its proprietary ‘Durax ITM’ platform with pan-coronavirus spike antigen design technology. The Durax ITM platform is designed to increase protein expression efficiency in biological environments. Previous research on the candidate ‘mRP-002-LP’ showed detectable antibody-secreting B cells up to 50 weeks after the initial dose, supporting the potential for long-term immunity.