Danish clinical-stage biotechnology company ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS, an affiliate of ExpreS2ion Biotech Holding AB (STO: EXPRS2), announced on Wednesday that it has signed a definitive licensing agreement with vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. for two blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates, RH5.1 and R78C.

The vaccines are designed to target infectious diseases and cancer, with the agreement granting Serum Institute of India rights to use ExpreS2ion's proprietary ExpreS2 production platform for further development, manufacturing, and commercialisation.

Under the terms, ExpreS2ion will receive upfront and milestone payments totalling a low single-digit amount in euros, along with royalties ranging from below 1% to the mid-single digits on future net sales. The deal builds on a prior term sheet and reinforces both companies' commitment to accelerating access to an innovative malaria vaccine with the potential to reduce global disease burden.

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, with 263 million cases and approximately 597,000 deaths reported in 2023, according to the World Health Organisation, with children in Africa aged under five accounting for 76% of fatalities.

Research collaborations between ExpreS2ion and the University of Oxford have already produced unique S2 cell strains and advanced RH5.1- and R78C-based vaccine candidates into Phase I and II clinical trials. Findings published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00312-8) highlight the promising efficacy of RH5.1.