AFFiRiS gets €1.2M grant for hypertension vaccine

Grant

AFFiRiS AG has been awarded a €1.2 million grant by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) to fund development of a vaccine against hypertension.

This is the fourth programme in the Vienna-based company’s portfolio to go into clinical studies, alongside vaccines to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and atherosclerosis.

The hypertension vaccine targets angiotensin II, a peptide hormone that can cause narrowing of the blood vessels and thereby increase blood pressure. Hypertension is one of the major causes of diseases of the cardiovascular system and thus one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide.

CSO Frank Mattner said that although chronic hypertension can be treated with drugs, the dose must be finely tuned, making compliance critical. “Our vaccine is intended to lower the burden of [having to] strict follow this medication regime], thereby contributing to ensuring lasting success.”