startup LoValTech wants to fight Covid and other diseases with its vaccines

The LoValTech adventure continues to take shape. The biotech startup from Tours has just formalized a new fundraising of 6.8 million euros (1) on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Mama. This will help speed up clinical trials of a nasal Covid-19 vaccine.

The company, founded in January 2022 from the University of Tours and the IRAE, is engaged in the industrial development of a new generation of vaccines for nasal administration.

In the coming months, phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials will be carried out in five French hospitals: CHRU in Tours, CHU in Saint-Etienne, Limoges and Dijon and Cochin-Pasteur in Paris.

“Millions of people die from infectious diseases every year.”

“Clinical studies are ongoing, involving 240 patients. In the first phase of testing, our nasal vaccine will be administered to three groups of twelve people to confirm its complete safety.explains Isabelle Dimier-Poisson, scientific director and co-founder of LoValTech. The second stage will involve two groups of 101 patients. One with classic revaccination against Covid-19; the other with LoValTech. »

Nasal administration allows “immediate cessation of infection and contagiousness” unlike the existing vaccine. “It also protects against severe forms, there is no revaccination and the vaccine can be stored at positive temperatures.”the researcher lists, recalling the huge mortality rate from this disease in the world.

Covid-19 kills 10,000 people every month. “Millions of people die from infectious diseases every year. We must continue to fight to protect ourselves and others.”insists Isabelle Dimier-Poisson, who supervises 25 researchers at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Tours and 7 researchers at LoValTech.

On track for commercialization in 2026

If the clinical trials are convincing and if LoValTech receives marketing authorization, the nasal vaccine could hit the market in 2026. “The next fundraiser will take place in 2025”warns President Patrick Barillot.

AND “ vaccine development platform”doesn’t want to stop there. “Their work is revolutionary with the desire to create a new generation of vaccines.”welcomes Xavier Aubry, founder of Da Vinci Labs, a startup incubator.

Vaccines that could help protect populations from malaria and other diseases. “The pandemic has become a real test– repeats Xavier Aubry. Others will arrive in the future. We must find weapons to fight them. »

(1) 5.3 million euros from the i-Démo project competition; 600,000 euros from the Da Vinci Laboratory; €500,000 from the Center-Val-de-Loire region through the Center-Val-de-Loire seed investment fund, and the rest from a group of doctors and a Swiss investor. A total of 13 million has already been collected.