MediciNova Inc. (NASDAQ: MNOV) saw the coronavirus bump on Monday after the company joined the list of COVID-19 stocks. The company entered a worldwide exclusive agreement with BioComo for the rights to develop BC-PIV as a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
BC-PIV is an innovative non-transmissible viral vector co-developed by BioComo and Mie University. It is derived from the recombinant human parainfluenza virus type 2 (hPIV2).
BC-PIV has been shown to be highly efficient in its ability to transfer multiple foreign proteins to recipients along with a strong safety profile. It is designed to display not only the gene but also the foreign protein itself on the surface and inside of the viral membrane. Therefore, it can carry the large membrane proteins of viruses and signal transduction receptors/ligand proteins on the viral surface.
As a result, BC-PIV has demonstrated that it can elicit immunogenicity against antigen proteins without adjuvants. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine prototype has been developed to include the specific SARS-CoV-2 antigen protein in order to express maximum antigenicity.
The BC-PIV SARS-COV-2 vaccine can be developed in a couple of ways. It can be developed as an intranasal vaccine and as an intramuscular injection because of its high affinity to nasal and upper respiratory tract mucosa, which is the same route of the natural infection of SARS-CoV-2. An intranasal vaccine is expected to induce local mucosal immunity.
Management has even noted that it is confident the BC-PIV SARS-CoV-2 vaccine will be successful. Again management hopes that this vaccine will be available in a clinical setting as soon as possible and will be the “gospel” for the people in the world.
MediciNova stock closed Monday up 95% to $11.00, in a 52-week range of $2.79 to $13.25. The consensus price target is $18.00.
24/7 Wall St.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
