ILiAD Biotechnologies

What ILiAD Biotechnologies does

ILiAD Biotechnologies is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Weston, Florida, developing vaccines for the prevention and treatment of disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, the bacterium responsible for whooping cough. Its lead product candidate, BPZE1, is a genetically engineered live attenuated pertussis vaccine delivered as a single intranasal dose. The vaccine is built on a B. pertussis strain licensed from Institut Pasteur de Lille and Inserm, modified at three toxin loci (pertussis toxin, dermonecrotic toxin, and tracheal cytotoxin) to attenuate virulence while retaining the ability to induce both mucosal and systemic immunity. The company's central thesis is that current acellular pertussis vaccines — administered intramuscularly — fail to prevent nasopharyngeal colonization and transmission, which explains rising pertussis incidence even in populations with 84% childhood vaccination coverage; BPZE1 has shown 99.9% reduction in B. pertussis nasopharyngeal colonization versus unvaccinated controls in non-human primate studies and the first-ever prevention of colonization in a human challenge trial.

BPZE1 has completed six clinical studies (two Phase 1, four Phase 2) with over 600 healthy adults and no vaccine-related serious adverse events, and has received FDA Fast Track Designation (January 2022) and UK MHRA Innovation Passport Designation (December 2024). A pivotal Phase 3 human challenge trial in over 500 participants is contracted with hVIVO and expected to begin in 2026 with initial data anticipated in 2027. The vaccine is formulated as a lyophilized product with greater than four years of stability at 4°C, produced through the company's wholly-owned Belgian subsidiary BioLyo Technologies, a CDMO focused on process and analytical development for Live Bacterial Products. The company also maintains a B-Tech Vector Platform for delivery of heterologous antigens, with NIH-funded proof-of-concept work in tuberculosis. As of the available data, ILiAD is pre-revenue and has no marketed products; IP protection extends across 82 patents worldwide.

The business model is a traditional clinical-stage vaccine commercialization play targeting national immunization programs, public health agencies, and healthcare provider networks once regulatory approval is obtained. Total capital raised exceeds $215 million across multiple rounds, including a $115 million Series B in February 2026 led by RA Capital Management with Janus Henderson Investors and BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts. The management team draws heavily from large-vaccine-pharma experience at Pfizer, GSK, Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, Merck, Takeda Vaccines, Vaxcyte, and CureVac, with an explicit build-out underway in 2026 for CMC, late-stage clinical, commercial, and legal functions ahead of a potential IPO.

Name

ILiAD Biotechnologies

Legal name

ILiAD Biotechnologies, Inc.

Website

https://iliadbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ILiAD Biotechnologies is a clinical-stage biotech developing BPZE1, a live attenuated intranasal pertussis vaccine designed to prevent whooping cough colonization and transmission, targeting national immunization programs and public health agencies globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pertussis Vaccines

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Vaccine Manufacturing & Contract Services (Veterinary Vaccine CDMO) (HLAMAKAI)

Keywords

• Live attenuated vaccines
• Pertussis vaccine development
• Intranasal vaccine platform
• Clinical stage biotechnology
• Biopharmaceutical R&D

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vaccine Product Revenue: ILiAD is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing BPZE1, a next-generation pertussis vaccine. Revenue will be generated from vaccine product sales following regulatory approval. The company is privately held and pre-revenue as of the available information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ILiAD Biotechnologies develops BPZE1, a next-generation live attenuated intranasal pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine designed to induce both mucosal and systemic immunity against Bordetella pertussis. The vaccine uses a genetically engineered B. pertussis strain with three toxin modifications (pertussis toxin, dermonecrotic toxin, and tracheal cytotoxin) and is delivered as a single intranasal dose. The company also operates BioLyo Technologies, a wholly-owned CDMO subsidiary focused on live bacterial product manufacturing and lyophilized vaccine formulation.

Product overview

ILiAD Biotechnologies is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing vaccines for pertussis (whooping cough). Its primary product is BPZE1, a next-generation live attenuated intranasal pertussis vaccine. The company also operates BioLyo Technologies, a Belgian CDMO subsidiary focused on live bacterial product development. The B-Tech™ vector platform represents an additional technology for heterologous antigen delivery against non-pertussis pathogens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BPZE1: Lead product candidate - a live attenuated pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine delivered intranasally, designed to induce both systemic and mucosal immunity against Bordetella pertussis.
• B-Tech Vector Platform

Products and services

• BPZE1 Vaccine BPZE1 is a next-generation live attenuated intranasal pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine candidate designed to induce both mucosal and systemic immune responses against Bordetella pertussis. It uses a genetically engineered B. pertussis strain with modifications to three key toxins (pertussis toxin, dermonecrotic toxin, and tracheal cytotoxin), delivered as a single intranasal dose intended to prevent colonization and transmission, addressing limitations of current acellular pertussis vaccines.
• BioLyo Technologies CDMO Services BioLyo Technologies is ILiAD's wholly-owned Contract Development Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) based in Ghent, Belgium, providing process and analytical development services for Live Bacterial Products (LBP), including lyophilized vaccine formulation and drug product preparation for late-stage clinical development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.9% reduction in B. pertussis nasopharyngeal colonization vs. non-vaccinated controls in non-human primates
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered significant and core.

• University of SouthamptonsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025University of Southampton led a human challenge trial demonstrating BPZE1's ability to prevent B. pertussis colonization in the nose and throat, first such achievement for any pertussis vaccine. Study conducted with partners including University Hospital Southampton and University of Oxford.
• University of OxfordsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025University of Oxford partnered with University of Southampton in the human challenge trial study of BPZE1.
• hVIVOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2025hVIVO signed a LOI and later a contract for a pivotal Phase III human challenge trial of BPZE1, the largest-ever human challenge trial contract for hVIVO involving over 500 participants. This is the first pivotal Phase III human challenge study for Bordetella pertussis.
• UK MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)significantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2024UK MHRA granted Innovation Passport Designation to BPZE1 under the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, facilitating accelerated development and review.
• Emmes GroupsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2024Emmes Group, a New Mountain Capital portfolio company, planned collaboration to conduct Phase III clinical trials of BPZE1.
• NIH (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)significantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2022NIH awarded ILiAD a grant to develop a novel tuberculosis vaccine using the proprietary B-Tech Vector Platform.
• Institut Pasteur de LillecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 8 January 2014ILiAD entered worldwide license agreements with Institut Pasteur de Lille for BPZE1 vaccine technology in January 2014. The BPZE1 strain was originally developed at Institut Pasteur de Lille by Dr. Camille Locht's team.
• Inserm (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 8 January 2014ILiAD entered worldwide license agreements with Inserm and Inserm Transfert SA for BPZE1 vaccine technology in January 2014.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• CureVac: mRNA vaccine biotech with similar late-stage development profile. ILiAD's Chief Business Officer Antony Blanc previously served as CBO/CCO at CureVac, indicating strong cultural and operational comparability.
• Bavarian Nordic: Vaccine-focused biotech with infectious disease pipeline and infectious disease CDMO-like capabilities. Comparable in scale, vaccine focus, and commercialization pathway.
• Rational Vaccines: Clinical-stage vaccine developer focused on herpes and infectious diseases. Comparable in size and stage; ILiAD's EVP/CDO Luis Rios-Nogales previously served as CDMQ Officer at Rational Vaccines.
• Novavax: Vaccine biotech with Matrix-M adjuvant platform. Several ILiAD executives (e.g., Chief Regulatory Officer Amy Fix, SVP of Regulatory Operations Karen Salovich) came from Novavax, indicating comparable late-stage vaccine development expertise and culture.

Broad incumbents

• Moderna: mRNA vaccine leader with comparable scale, manufacturing complexity, and infectious disease pipeline focus. Represents a potential strategic acquirer or partner for ILiAD's mRNA-adjacent live attenuated technology.
• Emergent BioSolutions: Vaccine developer and contract manufacturer with CDMO services for live bacterial products. Comparable via BioLyo's CDMO positioning, plus shared leadership alumni and live-vaccine manufacturing expertise.
• Sanofi Pasteur: Global vaccine leader and incumbent manufacturer of acellular pertussis vaccines (e.g., Adacel, Repevax) used in current pediatric immunization schedules. Represents the established competitor ILiAD must displace or complement.
• GSK Vaccines: Global vaccine incumbent with broad pertussis franchise (Boostrix, Infanrix). Competes directly with ILiAD's target market and has decades of established public-health relationships and schedule inclusion.

Direct peers

• HilleVax: Clinical-stage vaccine biotech developing norovirus vaccine, with similar late-stage development profile and several shared alumni from ILiAD's leadership. Closely comparable in stage, scale, and capital structure.
• Vaxcyte: Late-stage vaccine biotech developing novel conjugate and protein-based vaccines for bacterial infectious diseases. Most comparable to ILiAD in development stage, science-led approach, and pipeline focus on diseases underserved by current vaccines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iliadbio

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors11 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ILiAD Biotechnologies