Ziphius Vaccines

TLDR

Ziphius Vaccines is a Ghent-based startup developing self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccine technology as a next-generation alternative to conventional mRNA vaccines, founded in 2019.

Overview

Founded in 2019 in Ghent, Ziphius Vaccines is developing self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccine platforms. saRNA differs from conventional mRNA in that it encodes its own replication machinery, enabling much lower doses to generate equivalent immune responses. This has potential advantages in manufacturing cost, dosing, and duration of antigen expression.

The company is part of the broader RNA medicine innovation wave that gained momentum from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. While saRNA technology has been in development for decades, the maturation of lipid nanoparticle delivery systems and increased investment in RNA infrastructure following COVID-19 have accelerated the field.

Ziphius connects to the Belgian biotech cluster in Ghent, alongside companies such as Biotalys and Protealis, and to the mRNA ecosystem represented by Quantoom Biosciences and Univercells.

Key People

• Chris Cardon - Founder and CEO