Blue Water Vaccines, which is developing a universal flu vaccine, closes $ 7 million under the leadership of CincyTech

• Vaccine based on pioneering mathematical models, research from Oxford University
• CincyTech leads the oversubscribed financing round; company headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio

(Cincinnati, Ohio, United States and Oxford, United Kingdom) – July 9, 2019) Blue Water Vaccines, a company developing a universal influenza vaccine based on technology developed at the University of New York. Oxford closed a $ 7 million seed capital round led by CincyTech. The round was oversubscribed, with additional participation from private investors affiliated with CincyTech. The funding follows a promising preclinical study that provided early validation of the company's new approach to vaccine design.

Decades after vaccination, life-threatening infectious diseases, including smallpox, diphtheria and poliomyelitis, have been significantly reduced. Influenza remains a global threat to public health. More than a billion people contract the flu each year, resulting in 3 to 5 million hospitalizations and 500,000 deaths. Currently, seasonal vaccines are personalized each year to protect against influenza strains that, according to the world's health authorities, will be the most dominant, with no guarantee of protection. As recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control, the seasonal flu vaccine 2018-2019 is one of the least effective for a number of years, with an overall effectiveness of 29% and only 9% during the second half of the season.

"The seasonal flu vaccine is based on a mysterious technology," said Joseph Hernandez, an experienced biotechnology executive and chief executive officer of Blue Water Vaccines. "Developing a single vaccine to protect against all strains of influenza requires a deeper understanding of the virus and a fundamentally new approach – our vaccine, derived from innovative mathematical models and research, represents both."

The findings of a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Oxford University, led by theoretical epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta, PhD, and virologist Craig Thompson, PhD, suggest that the flu is n & # 39; It is not as variable as previously thought. Mathematical models badyzing the evolution of historical influenza strains over time have led to the theory that the epidemic behavior of influenza is mainly determined by the immune responses acting on regions of the virus whose variability is limited. Additional research has identified these areas; mice vaccinated with only four variants of the region of limited variability received immunity against all historical influenza strains.

"These works illustrate how evolutionary models can have a translational impact.We have moved from a predictive mathematical model describing the evolution of influenza to a universal influenza vaccine model," said Dr. Thompson.

Blue Water Vaccines has obtained the exclusive rights to the Oxford University Innovation vaccine, the research marketing company of Oxford University.

"The team at Blue Water Vaccines is continuing the holy grail of vaccines: a universal vaccine against the flu," said S? amuel Lee MD, director of CincyTech. ? "We are excited to support a world-clbad team in achieving this breakthrough."

"CincyTech is a competent partner with a strong portfolio of companies focused on human health," said Hernandez. "Cincinnati is the ideal place to effectively build the company and for its history of innovation in life sciences."

The capital will fund an additional preclinical study, followed by a Phase 1 trial scheduled for 2020. The company's headquarters will be located in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a laboratory in Oxford, UK.

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ABOUT BLUE WATER VACCINES

With the help of a technology developed by scientists from the University of Oxford, Blue Water Vaccines is employing to develop a unique vaccine that protects against all strains of influenza.

ABOUT CINCYTECH

CincyTech undeniably invests in better opportunities that disrupt current markets or create new markets and can be quickly scaled up to achieve maximum impact. We provide catalytic capital and basic entrepreneurial support from the earliest stages to help visionary founders turn innovation into digital and human-friendly businesses. CincyTech is one of the Midwest's most active seed funds, with portfolio companies backed by coastal and global investors. CincyTech is supported by Ohio Third Frontier.

ABOUT OXFORD UNIVERSITY INNOVATION

University of Oxford Innovation? supports innovation activities in all university divisions, managing technology transfer and consulting activities, and creating a leading innovation ecosystem, centered on the university of ; Oxford.

We provide access to Oxford researchers' technology through intellectual property licensing, spin-offs and equipment sales, as well as academic expertise through our service team of advice. We create for-profit companies and social enterprises. The Investment and New Ventures team supports investors interested in start-up projects and manages the Oxford Angels network.

Our start-up incubator supports members and former members of the university who wish to start or develop businesses run by entrepreneurs who are not university spin-outs.

Oxford University Innovation is the largest university patent applicant in the UK and ranks as the # 1 spin-off company in the UK, having created more than 170 new businesses since 1988. During the 2017/18 fiscal year we have completed more than 50 licensing and consulting contracts each month. .

Contact: Peg Rusconi | Director of Communications, CincyTech [email protected] | +1 617.910.6217

Gregg Bayes-Brown | Oxford University Innovation [email protected] | +44 1865 280867