EpiVax Partners with GAIA Vaccine Foundation to Make COVID-19 Vaccine License Free to Developing Countries

PROVIDENCE,Rhode Island,April 8,2020 --EpiVax,Inc.,is using advanced computational tools to accelerate a COVID-19 vaccine candidate (EPV-CoV19) for healthcare workers (HCW) into clinical trials in 6 months. Today,EpiVax announces its partnership with GAIA Vaccine Foundation ("GVF") to crowd-source funds for the project and its pledge to make a free license available to developing countries who qualify,in the context of this partnership.

EPV-CoV19 is a peptide-based,epitope-driven vaccine that can be rapidly and safely produced in most countries. Applying EpiVax's expertise enabled the selection of sequences representing all circulating SARS-CoV-2 genomes that will drive a T cell-mediated immune response,providing HCW with immune system "body armor",reducing their risk of morbidity and mortality. EPV-CoV19 will enter US clinical trials once funds have been raised ($1.75M).

GVF,a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,will enable private citizens and foundations to contribute to development of EPV-CoV19. GVF's mission is to reduce incidence of infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the under-served and promote the development of globally relevant,accessible vaccines that can be distributed on a not-for-profit basis in the developing world. Annie De Groot,MD,EpiVax CEO/CSO,states "The soul of each company will be revealed during this crisis. Personally,I do not believe this is the time to become a billionaire. Each of us should do what we do best to reduce the impact of COVID-19 globally." As it is the mission of EpiVax to "improve human health everywhere",the company has granted GVF a cost-free,royalty-free license to the EPV-CoV19 design for use in countries that can produce and test the vaccine candidate on the Least Developed Countries list published by the United Nations. Collaborators and a clinical trial site in West Africa have been identified.

Donations to the GVF COVID-19 vaccine fund will be entirely dedicated to the preclinical and clinical development phases of EPV-CoV19.

For more informationor to make a donation to the program,visithttp://www.gaiavaccine.org/covid19.

About EpiVax:

EpiVax is a biotechnology company with a broad portfolio of projects,including vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious diseases,autoimmunity and cancer. www.epivax.com

About GVF:

GVF is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports activities to advance healthcare accessibility and educational programs to inform the public about diseases,including HIV,and the importance of vaccines in West Africa. www.gaiavaccine.org

Press Contact:

Annie De Groot,EpiVax

401-272-2123

KNelson@epivax.com

Logo - http://cusmail.com/res/2023/07-22/19/a1962e39ac34087a558c9cfd33971f64.jpg

Logo - http://cusmail.com/res/2023/07-22/19/6dd632bb3ef3adfe37d1af1557200f75.jpg