Novavax, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, has received a three- year contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) vaccine using its proprietary Virus Like Particle (VLP) technology.

The grant for $1,069,789 over three years will assist Novavax in its development of a VLP vaccine for proof of concept studies in preparation for human trials.

Novavax conducts an extensive proprietary vaccine development and contract research program led by Gale Smith, an authority on vaccine and insect cell technology, from its facilities in Rockland, Maryland.

Novavax's VLP technology uses recombinant protein technology to imitate the structure of a virus to provide protection without the risk of infection or disease. Novavax's proprietary production technology lowers the cost and eliminates the labour intensive nature of the traditional egg based process by using insect cells.

The VLP technology produces safe and effective vaccine products through an aseptic process that reduces contamination risk and produces high, cost-effective yields. A key advantage of the technology is the ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats or new strains, the company says.