The UW–Madison biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer is partnering with Heat Biologics to produce a COVID-19 vaccine for phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials.

Waisman Biomanufacturing at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is partnering with Heat Biologics to produce a COVID-19 vaccine for phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials.

“In addition to its potential as a standalone COVID-19 vaccine, we believe this platform holds enormous promise in combination with other vaccines under development and in clinical trials by boosting the patient’s T-cell immunity,” says Jeff Wolf, CEO of Heat.

“Waisman Biomanufacturing’s mission is to advance novel vaccines and therapeutics into early human clinical trials,” says Carl Ross, managing director of Waisman Biomanufacturing, part of the Waisman Center.

Waisman Boimanufacturing will also produce clinical batches of vaccines using current good manufacturing practices, or GMP by industry lingo.

Established in 2001, Waisman Biomanufacturing has a nearly two decade history of working with researchers and private companies to develop and produce vaccines.

Producing the COVID-19 vaccine for phase 1 and phase 2 trials is just one step in a series of milestones leading to the establishment of a vaccine for general use.

Phase 1 trials are designed to demonstrate that a vaccine is safe for use.

Phase 3 trials are designed to show that the vaccine works in a larger sampling of patients.

Waisman Biomanufacturing previously partnered with Heat on two cancer vaccines, one of which is in a phase 2 clinical trial; the other completed enrollment in a phase 2 trial