AriaVax, Inc. is a research stage biotechnology company that develops novel vaccines for a variety of diseases. AriaVax vaccines are based on its proprietary peptide chemistry technology developed by the founder of the company while at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. This technology allows for the development of vaccines that selectively and specifically generate effective antibody-inducing immune responses against previously inaccessible critical segments of viral or bacterial proteins, or the cellular proteins to which these pathogens attach. AriaVax's platform includes use of a nanoparticle approach to mucosal vaccines.
AriaVax was conceived in 2000 by two individuals who were working at NIH and the FDA. During this initial phase, AriaVAX was focused on the early stage development of a platform technology to be utilized in synthesizing shelf stable vaccines. The basis of this research was an aluminum oxide nanoparticle that was developed by one of the founders in conjunction with scientists at Harvard Medical school and the Children's Hospital of Boston. The initial research was based on developing a methodology to address the C4 domain of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1). In the process of developing this methodology, the founder of AriaVAX determined that there were wider applications of the technology. A part of this technology is now utilized in multiple processes across a wide spectrum of marketable vaccines and vaccine components.
The term "small molecule" could have several seemingly unrelated implications or definitions. In a biological context, "small molecule" is often restricted to a molecule that binds with high affinity to a larger biopolymer such as protein or polysaccharide and, in addition, alters the activity or function of the biopolymer. In the vaccine space, "small molecule" is often used to generically describe an antigen or an epitope and the term implies a fragment or a subunit of a parent molecule. The parent molecule could be a protein and a subunit, or "small molecule," of the parent protein would be a peptide.
Small molecules are more likely to be absorbed, although some of them are only absorbed after oral administration if given as prodrugs. Small molecules are often considered superior to "large molecule" biologics because they can be taken orally. However, in the vaccine space, a small molecule has negative, ineffective implications because it would be cleared if taken orally thus avoiding the need for immune intervention for removal.
Associations are important to us. In effectively modifying our platform technology to specific vaccines, we work with individuals and insitutions that are experts in their respective fields of virology and bacteriology. We believe that these insituitions are the best in their scientific endeavors. We have worked in collaboration with these individuals on a variety of projects.