ImmunoPrecise Announces AI-Driven Breakthrough in Universal Dengue Vaccine Discovery
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LENS ai ™ powered by HYFT® technology Identifies a single multi-factorial target conserved across all dengue serotypes.
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AUSTIN, Texas — ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. (IPA) (NASDAQ:IPA) a leader in AI-driven biotherapeutics, announces discovery of a highly conserved epitope across all four dengue virus serotypes using its proprietary LENS ai ™ platform powered by their patented HYFT® technology. This discovery, made using several proprietary HYFT-based analyses, identifies a part of the virus (an epitope) that has remained unmutated across all four known virus serotypes, therefore potentially allowing an epitope-based vaccine to target and activate the immune system to eliminate the virus. This discovery marks a major milestone toward the development of a potential universal dengue vaccine and validates the Company's newly launched, HYFT pattern-patented AI-native vaccine discovery engine.
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Dr. Jennifer Bath, ImmunoPrecise Antibodies CEO commented, 'This breakthrough highlights a new frontier in AI-driven biology—where discovery is rooted in the biology of a virus itself. By confirming that our sequence-derived patented HYFT patterns match structural signatures across all dengue serotypes, we're setting the stage for a universal vaccine design framework. Ultimately, this research validates a persistent target that may allow doctors to home in on a signal to eliminate the virus regardless of mutations that may have occurred. More importantly, the implications appear to stretch far beyond the dengue virus. This is a foundation that research indicates can now be applied to many other infectious diseases and potentially even certain types of cancer.'
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Building on this success in dengue, IPA now intends to extend its AI-driven vaccine design platform to other high-impact infectious diseases, for example, HIV, Norovirus, and an improved RSV vaccine. Early-stage assessments are also underway to explore the platform's application in oncology for neoantigen vaccine development and tumor-specific epitope mapping.
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This discovery underscores IPA's commitment to advancing drug discovery through innovative, human-relevant AI technologies that align with evolving industry standards. Using HYFT's patented ability to map biologically meaningful sub-sequence patterns across the entire biosphere, the Company's proprietary LENS ai platform identified a unique epitope shared across all four serotypes of the dengue virus—DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. These serotypes are distinct versions of the virus that circulate globally, and because infection with one does not protect against the others, identifying a common target is a critical step toward developing a broadly protective dengue vaccine. Unlike traditional trial-and-error methods, IPA's discovery was achieved entirely in silico, demonstrating the platform's power to translate complex biological data into actionable vaccine design.
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Why Has a Universal Dengue Vaccine Been So Elusive?
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Dengue is not just one virus—it's four distinct, rapidly-evolving serotypes. Immunity to one does not guarantee protection from the others, and prior infection can even make subsequent disease worse. For decades, vaccine researchers have struggled to find a viral component that is both exposed and truly conserved across all four types—a challenge compounded by the virus's rapid mutation and complex immune interactions. Traditional methods, whether experimental or computational, have repeatedly fallen short, unable to fully bridge the gap between sequence, structure, and function at a meaningful scale.
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Confirmed Breakthrough: Sequence and Structural HYFT Match Across All Four Serotypes
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IPA's discovery is a landmark moment in computational vaccinology. Using its proprietary LENSai™ platform powered by their patented HYFT® technology, the company has identified a strictly conserved epitope across all four dengue virus serotypes— a viral signature that remains unchanged despite mutations and serotype variation, and that can be targeted to trigger the immune system in efforts to eliminate the virus. This achievement marks a critical milestone in the quest for a universal dengue vaccine.
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What sets this apart is the depth of validation:
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Patented HYFT patterns, derived based on the conservation of sequence data. were independently confirmed to match corresponding structural HYFTs across all four dengue serotypes.
This was made possible through LENS ai 's integration of over 20 million proprietary Structural HYFTs (S-HYFTs), enabling the platform to overlay three-dimensional conformations onto sequence-level, biology-native fingerprints.
The validation demonstrates that LENS ai doesn't simply identify linear motifs—it can infer conformational and functional structures from sequence data alone, bypassing the need for time-consuming experimental techniques like crystallography or cryo-EM.
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This milestone affirms the patented HYFT technology's unique ability to traverse the full biological hierarchy—from DNA/RNA sequence to molecular structure to therapeutic relevance. It signals that AI-native models, rooted in biology-first principles, can now deliver actionable insights previously achievable only through years of wet-lab research.
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The end-to-end LENS ai platform integrates patented HYFT® universal fingerprints with deep learning, structural predictions, and literature-mined knowledge graphs to rapidly identify and refine candidate epitopes—without requiring lab-based inputs. The result: full immunogen design and in silico immunogenicity screening, dramatically reducing the time and cost of early-stage vaccine development and unlocking new opportunities to tackle even the most complex viral challenges.
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About ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd.
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ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. is a techbio company that leverages multi-omics modeling and complex artificial intelligence through a series of proprietary and patented technologies. The Company owns an integrated end-to-end suite of capabilities to support the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies and is known for solving complex industry challenges. IPA has several subsidiaries in North America and Europe including entities such as Talem Therapeutics LLC, BioStrand BV, ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (Canada) Ltd. and ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (Europe) B.V. (collectively, the 'IPA Family').
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Forward-Looking Statements
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This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as 'expects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' or similar expressions, or statements that certain actions, events, or results 'may,' 'will,' 'could,' or 'might' occur or be achieved. These statements include, but are not limited to, those related to the anticipated benefits, scalability, adoption, and broader application of the LENS ai ™ and HYFT® platforms; the advancement and regulatory acceptance of AI-native drug discovery and vaccine development methods; the expansion of IPA's discovery engine to additional infectious disease and oncology targets; and the Company's ongoing ability to maintain scientific, regulatory, and commercial momentum.
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Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, and projections about future events. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, but are not limited to, scientific or technological developments, changes in regulatory requirements or acceptance, competitive or market dynamics, intellectual property protection and enforcement, integration or operational risks, and changes in economic or business conditions.
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Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties is included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, as amended, for the year ended April 30, 2024 (available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov/edgar). Should any of these risks materialize, actual results could vary significantly from those currently anticipated.
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CTV News
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
A $2.8 billion settlement will change college sports forever. Here's how
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For reference, there are nearly 200,000 athletes and 350 schools in Division I alone and 500,000 and 1,100 schools across the entire NCAA. Q: How much will the schools pay the athletes and where will the money come from? A: In Year 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes, a number that represents 22 per cent of their revenue from things like media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne famously told Congress 'those are resources and revenues that don't exist.' Some of the money will come via ever-growing TV rights packages, especially for the College Football Playoff. But some schools are increasing costs to fans through 'talent fees,' concession price hikes and 'athletic fees' added to tuition costs. Q: What about scholarships? Wasn't that like paying the athletes? A: Scholarships and 'cost of attendance' have always been part of the deal for many Division I athletes and there is certainly value to that, especially if athletes get their degree. The NCAA says its member schools hand out nearly $4 billion in athletic scholarships every year. But athletes have long argued that it was hardly enough to compensate them for the millions in revenue they helped produce for the schools, which went to a lot of places, including multimillion-dollar coaches' salaries. They took those arguments to court and won. Q: Haven't players been getting paid for a while now? A: Yes, since 2021. Facing losses in court and a growing number of state laws targeting its amateurism policies, the NCAA cleared the way for athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, including so-called donor-backed collectives that support various schools. Under House, the school can pay that money directly to athletes and the collectives are still in the game. Q: But will $20.5 million cover all the costs for the athletes? A: Probably not. But under terms of the settlement, third parties are still allowed to cut deals with the players. Some call it a workaround, but most simply view this as the new reality in college sports as schools battle to land top talent and then keep them on campus. Top quarterbacks are reportedly getting paid around $2 million a year, which would eat up about 10 per cent of a typical school's NIL budget for all its athletes. Q: Are there any rules or is it a free-for-all? A: The defendant conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12) are creating an enforcement arm that is essentially taking over for the NCAA, which used to police recruiting violations and the like. Among this new entity's biggest functions is to analyze third-party deals worth $600 or more to make sure they are paying players an appropriate 'market value' for the services being provided. The so-called College Sports Commission promises to be quicker and more efficient than the NCAA. Schools are being asked to sign a contract saying they will abide by the rules of this new structure, even if it means going against laws passed in their individual states. Q: What about players who played before NIL was allowed? A: A key component of the settlement is the $2.7 billion in back pay going to athletes who competed between 2016-24 and were either fully or partially shut out from those payments under previous NCAA rules. That money will come from the NCAA and its conferences (but really from the schools, who will receive lower-than-normal payouts from things like March Madness). Q: Who will get most of the money? A: Since football and men's basketball are the primary revenue drivers at most schools, and that money helps fund all the other sports, it stands to reason that the football and basketball players will get most of the money. But that is one of the most difficult calculations for the schools to make. There could be Title IX equity concerns as well. Q: What about all the swimmers, gymnasts and other Olympic sports athletes? A: The settlement calls for roster limits that will reduce the number of players on all teams while making all of those players – not just a portion – eligible for full scholarships. This figures to have an outsize impact on Olympic-sport athletes, whose scholarships cost as much as that of a football player but whose sports don't produce revenue. There are concerns that the pipeline of college talent for Team USA will take a hit. Q: So, once this is finished, all of college sports' problems are solved, right? A: The new enforcement arm seems ripe for litigation. There are also the issues of collective bargaining and whether athletes should flat-out be considered employees, a notion the NCAA and schools are generally not interested in, despite Tennessee athletic director Danny White's suggestion that collective bargaining is a potential solution to a lot of headaches. NCAA President Charlie Baker has been pushing Congress for a limited antitrust exemption that would protect college sports from another series of lawsuits but so far nothing has emerged from Capitol Hill. Eddie Pells, The Associated Press
