QS-21 Overview
QS-21 is the “Gold Standard” adjuvant for enhancing immune response to vaccine antigens and is a vital component in more than 17 human vaccine candidates. Currently, the QS-21 adjuvant is a vital component in the FDA-approved GSK Shingrix Shingles Vaccine® and the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved, GSK Mosquirix® malaria vaccine.
In addition, QS-21 is part of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine which has been shown to be highly effective in clinical trials and is the process of seeking regulatory approvals in numerous countries.
The Problem
Today, QS-21 is made solely from mature quillaja tree bark of a specific saponin profile.
Harvesting the bark of the quillaja tree kills it, reducing the population and future harvesting opportunities resulting in a negative environmental impact.
Additionally, traditional extraction and purification technologies have extremely low yields.
The result is a very limited and unsustainable supply of QS-21 for vaccine candidates.
Despite being recognized as the “Gold Standard” in adjuvants supply concerns limits QS-21’s potential.
Q-VANT Bioscience’s technology is able to increase the supply of QS-21 from 20 million available doses to 20 billion doses by using our proprietary technology QSAP™ which allows the use of different quillaja plant materials and superior yields.
Q-VANT owns and controls quillaja plant material production in a 100% sustainable process from beginning to end.
Q-VANT’S research pipeline includes the development of new QS-21 versions with an improved safety profile, resulting in greater flexibility of use at higher doses and with less undesired effects.
5 years of forestry research and development has allowed Q-VANT to develop quillaja plant material production technologies which solve the long-term supply of the ingredient.