Versatope Therapeutics

What Versatope Therapeutics does

Versatope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing vaccines and immuno-therapeutics through a proprietary platform based on Recombinant Extracellular Transport Vesicles (RET-Vs). The platform engineers probiotic-derived nano-vesicles to display multiple antigenic variants on a single particle, enabling cross-strain immunity and targeted therapeutic delivery. Founded in 2017 around research from Cornell University professors David Putnam and Matthew DeLisa, the company is headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts at the UMass Lowell M2D2 incubator with 11-50 employees. Its lead clinical asset, VT-105, is a universal influenza A vaccine that has received IND allowance from the FDA. The pipeline also includes a Phase 2 bi-specific malaria vaccine, a C. difficile vaccine, peanut allergy immunotherapy, and precision oncology candidates for colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

The company's business model is grant- and contract-funded in the near term. Versatope is pre-revenue, with no commercial products, and is dependent on non-dilutive funding from NIH SBIR grants, NIAID Broad Agency Announcement contracts (including a $17.9M award over five years for VT-105), the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, MassVentures, and competition prizes. Anticipated long-term revenue will come from product sales and/or licensing royalties following regulatory approval of pipeline candidates, with distribution likely through government health agencies (NIH, CDC, WHO, ministries of health) given the public-health framing of programs like universal influenza and malaria. The customer base is therefore institutional public-sector rather than enterprise or consumer.

Versatope's go-to-market is anchored in scientific credibility: peer-reviewed publications in Nature Communications, PNAS, Vaccine, and Molecular Therapy; participation in major vaccine and extracellular vesicle conferences; and a Scientific Advisory Board that includes Nobel laureate Dr. Drew Weissman and leading influenza researchers. Strategic priorities currently emphasize advancing VT-105 through first-in-human trials, executing the malaria vaccine under Phase 2 SBIR, and expanding leadership (CMO, board additions) to support clinical operations and eventual commercialization discussions.

Name

Versatope Therapeutics

Legal name

Versatope Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://versatope.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Versatope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company using proprietary recombinant extracellular transport vesicles (RET-Vs) derived from engineered probiotics to develop universal influenza, malaria, and other vaccines, plus targeted cancer and allergy therapeutics, currently funded by NIH grants and targeting global public health agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Vaccine Technology Platforms (mRNA, viral vector, protein subunit, inactivated/live-attenuated, VLP, DNA) (HLAAAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prophylactic Human Vaccines (routine, pediatric, adult) (HLAAAEAA), Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy) (HLAAAEAB)

Keywords

• Recombinant vesicle vaccines
• Nano-vesicle immunotherapy
• Universal influenza vaccine
• Infectious disease biopharmaceuticals
• Engineered probiotic platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vaccine and Therapeutic Development: Pre-revenue clinical stage company. Revenue is anticipated from product sales following regulatory approval of pipeline candidates including universal influenza vaccine (VT-105), malaria vaccine, and cancer immunotherapies. Currently funded through NIH SBIR grants and NIAID contracts.
2. NIH SBIR Grants and Government Contracts: Versatope receives non-dilutive funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 and Phase 2 grants from NIH/NIAID, and a major NIAID Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contract. This supports R&D, manufacturing, and clinical studies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Versatope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing vaccines and immuno-therapeutics using its proprietary Recombinant Extracellular Transport Vesicles (RET-Vs) platform derived from genetically engineered probiotics. The platform produces designer nano-vesicles that display multiple antigenic variants on a single particle to enable cross-strain immunity, with applications spanning universal influenza, malaria, C. difficile, peanut allergy, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Lead clinical candidate VT-105 (universal influenza vaccine) has received IND allowance from the FDA.

Product overview

Versatope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a versatile platform based on molecular engineering of proprietary cell lines that produce Recombinant Extracellular Transport Vesicles (RET-Vs). The company's product portfolio includes: VT-105 Universal Influenza Vaccine (lead clinical candidate with IND allowance), Malaria Bi-valent Vaccine (Phase 2 SBIR), Peanut Allergy Immunotherapy, Colorectal Cancer Therapy, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy. The RET-Vs platform enables display of multiple viral variants on single vesicles for more effective vaccines, delivery of therapeutic RNA into cancer cells, and rapid synthesis with thermostability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VT-105 Universal Influenza Vaccine A universal influenza A vaccine candidate that uses Recombinant Extracellular Transport Vesicles (RET-Vs) to display proteins of multiple influenza strains on a single nano-vesicle, providing robust and durable cross-strain immunity in preclinical studies and designed as a single-dose alternative to annually reformulated seasonal influenza vaccines. Targeted at healthcare providers and public health agencies for broad influenza protection.
• Malaria Bi-valent Vaccine A bi-specific malaria vaccine candidate using recombinant nano-vesicles (rOMVs) that targets both initial malaria infection and transmission, designed for single-dose administration with room temperature stability to support worldwide deployment in endemic regions. Targeted at ministries of health, WHO, and global health agencies.
• C. difficile Vaccine A novel vaccine candidate for the prevention and possible treatment of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection, developed using the company's nano-vesicle platform under an NIAID Phase 1 SBIR grant. Targeted at hospital systems and public health programs seeking to prevent C. diff outbreaks.
• Peanut Allergy Immunotherapy A novel therapeutic approach using detoxified E. coli nanovesicles displaying allergens to act as potent adjuvants that induce Th1 responses, suppress Th2-related responses, and provide 100% long-term protection in in vivo models for peanut allergy treatment. Targeted at allergy specialists and immunology clinics.
• Colorectal Cancer Therapy Precision colorectal cancer therapy using genetically engineered recombinant outer membrane vesicles (ROMVs) surface-decorated with ligands that target overexpressed clinical biomarkers for high-payload chemotherapeutic delivery directly to malignant cells with minimized off-target toxicity. Targeted at oncology centers and hospitals.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Therapy A treatment for inflammatory bowel disease leveraging the proprietary recombinant nanovesicle platform for site-specific delivery of immuno-modulators. Nanovesicles target clinically validated biomarkers such as mucosal addressins and TNF-alpha, with time-release dosing to enhance colonic permeability and reduce systemic side effects. Targeted at gastroenterology clinics and hospitals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Universal influenza vaccine candidate provides robust and durable immunity against multiple influenza strains in preclinical studies; IND approved for clinical trials.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, key and core.

• Precision Medicine Forum / Precision Extracellular Vesicle ForumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2024Versatope participated as a speaker at the Precision Extracellular Vesicle Forum in Cambridge, UK (October 2024) presenting on 'Vaccine and Therapeutic Delivery by using Engineering Recombinant Extracellular Transport Vesicles.'
• Options XII for the Control of InfluenzaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2024Versatope presented at Options XII for the Control of Influenza in Brisbane, Australia (September 2024) on 'A Matrix 2 Protein Vaccine from Bacterial Vesicles Protects Against Diverse Strains of Influenza.'
• Eighteenth Vaccine Congress (Elsevier)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2024Versatope presented at the Eighteenth Vaccine Congress in Lisbon, Portugal (September 2024) on 'Nanovesicle Display of a Universal Influenza Vaccine Candidate Protects against Diverse Strains of Influenza.'
• Dr. Drew Weissman (University of Pennsylvania)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2021Dr. Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research at Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, joined Versatope's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Weissman co-discovered modified nucleosides in mRNA that enable effective mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna), and was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine. His expertise strengthens Versatope's RNA and vaccine research capabilities.
• Cornell University (David Putnam and Matthew DeLisa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-founders Dr. Matthew DeLisa (William L. Lewis Professor of Engineering) and Dr. David Putnam (Professor of Bioengineering) at Cornell University developed the foundational RET-V platform technology. Their research teams pioneered the development of probiotic exosomes and generated the strong preliminary data supporting Versatope's preclinical development. Research published in Nature Communications, PNAS, and other leading journals.
• UMass Lowell M2D2 (Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2018Versatope launched its R&D effort at the M2D2 incubator at University of Massachusetts Lowell. The company was selected as a Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS resident company at M2D2, providing access to laboratory space, innovation resources, and the broader J&J innovation ecosystem. M2D2 also awarded Versatope the second place prize in the 200K M2D2 Challenge (2018).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BiondVax Pharmaceuticals: BiondVax is a clinical-stage biotech developing a universal influenza vaccine (M-001) using a recombinant multi-epitope approach. It is the most direct competitor to Versatope's VT-105 in the universal flu vaccine space, pursuing the same cross-strain immunity thesis that ultimately failed in Phase 3 trials.
• Vaccitech: Vaccitech is a clinical-stage vaccine company developing universal influenza vaccine candidates (e.g., VTP-100) using viral vector platforms. It directly competes with Versatope in the universal flu vaccine category with similar cross-strain immunity ambitions and T-cell based approaches.
• Codiak BioSciences: Codiak BioSciences pioneered engineered exosome (extracellular vesicle) therapeutics for vaccines and oncology, making it the closest technological analog to Versatope's RET-V platform. Both companies harness vesicles as programmable delivery vehicles, though Codiak faced clinical setbacks that inform the regulatory pathway for vesicle-based approaches.

Emerging players

• FluGen: FluGen is a clinical-stage biotech developing M2SR, a single-replication intranasal universal influenza vaccine. It is a relevant emerging peer pursuing broad cross-strain influenza protection through a different mechanism than Versatope's vesicle-based approach.
• Evox Therapeutics: Evox Therapeutics develops engineered extracellular vesicles for delivery of nucleic acids and protein therapeutics, including vaccine applications. It shares Versatope's core technical foundation in vesicle-based delivery and represents an emerging competitor in the same technological category.
• VBI Vaccines: VBI Vaccines is a clinical-stage vaccine company using enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) and multi-antigen display technology for infectious disease and immuno-oncology. It is structurally similar to Versatope as a small platform-based vaccine company pursuing multiple indications with proprietary display technology.
• Arcturus Therapeutics: Arcturus is a clinical-stage biotech developing mRNA and nucleic acid-based vaccines and therapeutics, including influenza programs. It is a relevant emerging peer with similar platform-based approach to infectious disease vaccines, including collaborations with CSL for influenza.

Broad incumbents

• Novavax: Novavax is a commercial-stage vaccine company using recombinant nanoparticle technology to display antigens for infectious disease vaccines. It represents a broader incumbent with an analogous platform-based approach to antigen display, though at vastly greater scale and commercialization stage.
• Moderna: Moderna is a leading mRNA vaccine and therapeutics company pursuing universal influenza and combination infectious disease vaccines. While using a different platform technology (mRNA vs. vesicles), it is the dominant competitor pursuing similar multi-pathogen vaccine ambitions with vastly greater resources and commercial infrastructure.
• Sanofi Pasteur: Sanofi Pasteur is the largest influenza vaccine manufacturer globally, with established universal flu R&D programs and full commercial infrastructure. It represents the primary incumbent Versatope would need to compete against or partner with for any influenza vaccine reaching approval.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VersatopeRx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/versatope-therapeutics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors4 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Versatope Therapeutics