CLINICAL PROGRAMS & PIPELINE: PIPELINE

TLR Agonists as Vaccine Adjuvants

Idera’s chemistry-based approach to identify TLR-targeted compounds has generated a broad pipeline of candidates for the treatment of diverse diseases, including use of TLR agonists as vaccine adjuvants.

Idera has created a portfolio of compounds which act as agonists of Toll-like receptors 3, 7, 8 and 9. These compounds have been shown to act as vaccine adjuvants. Vaccines are composed of one or more antigens and one or more adjuvants in an appropriate formulation. The function of the adjuvants is to enhance immune recognition of the antigens and increase the ability of the immune system to make antigen-specific antibodies.

Idera has entered into an exclusive license and research collaboration agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. to research, develop and commercialize vaccine products containing Idera’s TLR7, 8 and 9 agonists in the fields of oncology, infectious diseases and Alzheimer's disease.

Independently, Idera is seeking to enter into collaboration to advance the use of its proprietary TLR3 agonists as vaccine adjuvants.