Uvax Bio holds an exclusive license agreement with California-based nonprofit biomedical research facility Scripps Research that covers 11 patented and proprietary 1c-SApNP® vaccines. The Uvax is an all-in-one, viruslike nanoparticle design and a one-for-all, simple manufacturing process invented by Uvax Bio co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Jiang Zhu, Professor of Scripps Research.
The opportunity for Uvax Bio to take its two lead vaccine candidates for COVID-19 and HIV-1 into Phase 1 trials represents a major milestone for the company. While the company’s two lead candidates are entering human trials, Uvax plans to raise additional capital in order to advance other promising new vaccine candidates toward Phase 1 readiness.
WuXi STA Breaks Ground For Delaware Pharmaceutical Facility
During a meeting of Delaware’s Council on Development Finance (CDF), Uvax Bio applied for a Jobs Performance Grant of up to $1,061,955 and a Capital Expenditures Grant of up to $240,000 from the Delaware Strategic Fund. The CDF reviewed and approved Uvax Bio’s request for up to $1,301,955 in total grant funding.
Solenis R&D Grows In Wilmington
Elsewhere in New Castle County, Wilmington-based Solenis has chosen its hometown as the site for a $40 million research and development expansion. Solenis will move to a 100,000-square-foot building at Chestnut Run Innovation and Science Park (CRISP). CRISP is a former DuPont campus that MRA Group is developing into a hub for a range of life sciences and advanced chemical companies.
Solenis supplies innovative specialty chemicals and services for process, functional, and water treatment applications to consumer and industrial markets. The company has 48 manufacturing facilities and more than 6,400 employees around the world to serve an array of industries in 120 countries. The company currently employs more than 300 workers in Delaware, with approximately 185 employees at the Avenue North headquarters and 140 employees at its Ashland R&D site. Both are located in New Castle County.
The new CRISP facility will provide Solenis with 20,000 square feet more lab space than it currently has at its existing R&D center on Ashland’s Wilmington campus. The larger, upgraded site will allow Solenis to add up to 46 highly skilled jobs — including lab technicians, scientists and R&D supervisors — within the next three years.
“What the MRA Group has done for the CRISP campus is transformative for our County,” said Meyer. “The redeveloped campus gives our existing Delaware companies that are expanding a home to grow and thrive. New Castle County is proud to continue to be the home of Solenis, which provides great jobs in our community producing innovative and sustainable solutions for everyday life.”
Solenis applied to the CDF for a Jobs Performance Grant of $552,000 and a Delaware Lab Space Grant of $3.5 million from the Delaware Strategic Fund to support its investment of $40 million. The CDF reviewed and approved the Solenis team’s request for up to $4.052 million in total grant funding.
