Okairos

About Okairos

Okairos was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating genetic vaccines for major infectious diseases and cancer. The company originated in 2007 as a spin-off from the Merck Laboratories' research center (IRBM) in Rome, Italy. It was founded by a team of scientists including Riccardo Cortese, who served as CEO, Alfredo Nicosia, Antonella Folgori, and Stefano Colloca. The founders were veterans of IRBM and brought extensive experience in viral vectors and vaccine development. Cortese, a prominent figure in molecular biology, had previously founded and directed IRBM before establishing Okairos. The founding team's journey reflects a direct translation of deep scientific research on adenoviral vectors into an entrepreneurial venture.

The company's core asset was a proprietary technology platform centered on replication-incompetent adenovirus vectors derived from chimpanzees. This approach addressed a key limitation of human adenovirus vectors: pre-existing immunity in much of the human population, which can neutralize the vector and reduce vaccine effectiveness. By using chimpanzee adenoviruses (ChAd), against which few humans have neutralizing antibodies, Okairos' platform could effectively deliver genetic material to cells and stimulate potent T-cell immune responses. The company screened over 700 chimpanzees to isolate more than 100 strains, developing a robust and versatile vector system. This technology was designed to create both prophylactic vaccines, which prevent infection, and therapeutic vaccines to treat existing diseases.

Okairos' business model was to advance its pipeline of T-cell vaccines through Phase II proof-of-concept clinical trials. For later-stage Phase III trials and commercialization, the company planned to seek partnerships with larger pharmaceutical firms. Its primary targets included challenging infectious diseases like Hepatitis C, malaria, HIV, Ebola, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), as well as oncology applications. The company secured funding from a syndicate of life science venture capital firms, including Life Science Partners, BioMedInvest, Versant Ventures, and the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund. After its founding in Rome, Okairos moved its headquarters to Basel, Switzerland, to leverage the country's supportive environment for biotech innovation.

Within six years, the company made significant progress, demonstrating the safety and protective potential of its T-cell targeting vaccine in human volunteers. This rapid success culminated in a major strategic milestone in May 2013, when GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) acquired Okairos for €250 million in cash. The acquisition provided GSK with full ownership of Okairos' promising vaccine platform and its early-stage pipeline, complementing GSK's existing vaccine development programs. Following the acquisition, Okairos was fully integrated into GSK.