Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has acquired preclinical biotechnology company Omniose, gaining access to a proprietary bioconjugation platform designed to transform the development of conjugate vaccines against serious bacterial infections.

 

The acquisition makes Omniose a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca and places the company within its Infectious Disease Unit. The deal follows three years of exclusive research collaboration between the two companies and is expected to strengthen AstraZeneca’s existing vaccine development capabilities.

 

At the heart of the acquisition is Omniose’s bioconjugation technology, which offers a potentially simpler and more precise alternative to conventional chemical methods used to manufacture conjugate vaccines.

 

Traditionally, conjugate vaccines rely on complex chemical processes to attach bacterial polysaccharides to engineered carrier proteins. Omniose’s platform takes a different approach, enabling the production and linking of these components within a single bacterial cell.

 

The technology could streamline manufacturing, improve molecular precision and potentially deliver higher-quality vaccines against dangerous bacterial pathogens.

 

Christian Harding, CSO & Co-founder of Omniose, said: “This milestone reflects the work of exceptional and complementary teams. AstraZeneca has been a trusted partner for several years, and this acquisition gives our platform the best chance to reach the patients it was built to serve.”

 

AstraZeneca sees the technology as an important addition to its efforts to develop vaccines against serious bacterial infections.

 

Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice President, Infectious Disease, AstraZeneca, said: “Omniose’s bioconjugation platform represents a differentiated approach to engineering conjugate vaccines and strengthens our ability to develop novel vaccines against serious bacterial infections. Building on the strong scientific collaboration between our teams, we look forward to advancing these programs and realizing the potential of this technology for patients.”

 

The acquisition also comes amid growing concern over antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat and intensifying the need for effective preventive approaches.

 

Timothy Cooke, CEO of Omniose, said: “The acquisition by AstraZeneca is a great outcome for both organizations. We share a vision for bringing the best science and talent together to address serious bacterial infections, which are increasingly complicated by antimicrobial resistance.”

 

For Omniose, the acquisition provides an opportunity to advance its technology within the resources and development infrastructure of a global pharmaceutical company. For AstraZeneca, it adds a differentiated scientific platform that could help accelerate the development of next-generation bacterial vaccines.

 

The deal marks the next chapter in a partnership that began with a research collaboration and now brings Omniose’s technology and expertise fully into AstraZeneca’s infectious disease research operations.