Vaxinano has an exclusive license agreement with Vetoquinol to develop its leading canine leishmaniasis vaccine candidate utilizing Vaxinano's proprietary nanoparticle technology.

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed but they include upfront and milestone payments as well as R&D funding to Vaxinano.

Canine leishmaniasis is an incurable multisystemic zoonosis caused by a parasite that leads to death in symptomatic dogs, affecting globally 100 million dogs.

This parasite causes visceral, cutaneous, and mucosal leishmaniasis with a prevalence varying between 5-20 percent in the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, South America, and West Asia, and expanding in the Northern Hemisphere due to travel and climate change.

Philippe Gruet, CSO, Vetoquinol commented, "We are excited to collaborate with Vaxinano and the proprietary nanoparticle-based vaccine technology developed by Vaxinano. Leishmaniasis remains an unmet need waiting for viable solutions that we hope to bring to the One Health market in the coming years".

Jonathan Stauber, CEO, Vaxinano said, "We are proud to collaborate with a well-regarded animal health global player such as Vetoquinol to develop a solution to combat leishmaniasis, a climate change-linked and growingly expanding infection disease". 

Didier Betbeder, CSO, Vaxinano, said, "This collaboration reinforces the value of our technology for veterinary vaccines. The success in treating leishmaniasis further demonstrates the platform's effectiveness, including its potential for immunotherapy. These promising results pave the way for the development of a wide range of therapeutic vaccines."