Selecta Biosciences Inc.

The technology platform that Selecta Biosciences Inc. hopes will create new vaccines combines biodegradable polymers, formulated as nanoparticles, that can be processed in such a way that they “self-assemble” along with antigens and synthetic elements into complexes able to evoke clinically relevant immune responses. Selecta says its nanoparticles stimulate a human immune response similar to that roused by naturally occurring pathogens, perhaps because they are similar in size to a virus and because antigen is arrayed on the outside to optimally interact with the body’s B cells. On the inside, the nanoparticles contain what Selecta considers a “proprietary and universal” T-cell antigen intended to elicit a strong memory T-cell response. The interior of the company’s nanoparticles also contain a TLR, or Toll-like receptor, agonist meant to act as an adjuvant.