Record-breaking acquisition set to bring life-saving vaccines to the world

In the hands of Sanofi, Vicebio’s Molecular Clamp platform has the potential to redefine how the world combats respiratory diseases.

Startup Vicebio Ltd has been developing vaccines against life-threatening respiratory viral infections using the Molecular Clamp technology developed at The University of Queensland and commercialised by UniQuest.

The technology locks viral coat proteins into a shape mimicking their natural form, inducing protective immune responses.

Leading healthcare company Sanofi acquired the startup in 2025 for a total upfront payment of US$1.15 billion, with potential milestone payments of up to US$450 million based on development and regulatory achievements.

The record-breaking deal is the largest acquisition involving a company commercialising intellectual property (IP) from an Australian university.

The technology

Enveloped viruses have proteins on their surface that help them fuse with host cells, a key process in infection. For a vaccine to work, these proteins need to stay in their original “pre-fusion” shape as this form triggers the strongest protective antibody response. The problem is that these proteins are naturally unstable and rapidly change to a “post-fusion” shape when produced on their own, making them ineffective for vaccines.

To solve this, UQ researchers Professor Keith Chappell, Professor Daniel Watterson and Emeritus Professor Paul Young developed the Molecular Clamp platform technology. This innovation locks unstable, pre-fusion surface proteins of enveloped viruses in their unstable form, allowing the immune system to respond more effectively. This protein can be generated recombinantly, enabling the straightforward manufacture of a vaccine candidate.

The road to global impact

The researchers first disclosed the technology to UniQuest in 2013, and a provisional patent application was filed in 2016. A commercialisation strategy was developed by UniQuest who then pitched to more than 30 global vaccine companies and Australian venture capitalists without success.

That changed in 2018, when UniQuest and the inventors pitched the Molecular Clamp technology to two different groups in Europe: healthcare venture capital firm Medixci Ventures and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI). Both pitches were successful: CEPI put forward US$10.6 million over three years for the development of a rapid response Molecular Clamp vaccine platform for a potential future pandemic; and in parallel, UniQuest negotiated investment from Medixci to establish Vicebio Ltd to develop novel vaccines against life-threatening respiratory viral infections using the technology.

While Vicebio focused on clinical and manufacturing development, UniQuest continued to work closely with the company and the UQ research team to foster the ongoing research program at UQ, supporting the discovery and development of new vaccine candidates in Australia. This work has helped create many high-value scientific and supporting jobs, including roles at Australian contract research and clinical trial facilities. UniQuest’s position on the Vicebio board provided strategic advice to the company.

When COVID-19 emerged, UQ was the only Australian university and one of only three programs globally to be tasked by CEPI to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. UniQuest played an integral role in managing complex contracting with industry, CEPI, government and philanthropic funders to enable rapid development.

The research team were devastated when the decision was made to halt the COVID-19 vaccine during its Phase 1 clinical trial due to false-positive HIV diagnostic interference, but they were confident in the underlying approach of the technology. The Vicebio team reengineering the platform and a provisional patent application for Clamp 2.0 was filed in 2022. In 2023, CEPI funded a trial of the Clamp 2.0 for COVID-19.

The path to commercialisation

Vicebio emerged from stealth in 2022 with €18 million in venture capital investment from Medixci, and appointed a world-class team, including CEO Dr Emmanuel Hanon, former Head of Vaccines R&D at GSK.

A key advantage of the Molecular Clamp enabled vaccines is that the protein is highly stable and soluble in liquid and can be stored and shipped with refrigeration and no freezing. These features offer benefits over mRNA vaccines and enable a commercially attractive product, which the company pursued: a pre-filled syringe containing multiple Molecular Clamp vaccines targeting different viruses.

In 2024, Vicebio secured USD$100 million in Series B funding led by TCGX with investment from Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Avoro Ventures, venBio, and participation from Medixci and the UniQuest Extension Fund. In the same year, their first combination vaccine candidate entered Phase 1 clinical trials for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV), viruses that cause a significant burden of disease in elderly patients and those with a weakened immune system.

Acquisition

In 2025, Sanofi acquired Vicebio for a total upfront payment of US#1.15 billion, with potential milestone payments of up to US$450 million based on development and regulatory achievements.

Following news of the acquisition, Dr Giovanni Mariggi, Chairman of Vicebio and Partner at Medixci, said: “We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished in the last few years thanks to a team effort by the company, The University of Queensland, our investors and the Board.”

Dr Emmanuel Hanon, Chief Executive Officer of Vicebio, added: “Vicebio and its incredibly passionate team have been driven by the ambition to develop next-generation vaccines aimed at targeting multiple life-threatening respiratory viruses simultaneously. This acquisition validates our ability to combine innovation and deep scientific expertise towards a common goal of advancing public health prevention, and we’re excited to enter the next chapter to accelerate the global impact of our work.”