The NIH Technology Transfer Program was honored with its record 7th “Deal of Distinction Award” at the 2025 Licensing Executives Society Annual Meeting.  This award was given to NIH and its licensee Bavarian Nordic for the deal that led to the new chikungunya virus vaccine Vimkunya®. Vimkunya received FDA approval on February 14, 2025, as the first virus-like particle (VLP) single-dose chikungunya vaccine and the first chikungunya vaccine for individuals over the age of 12. . It uses virus-like particles designed to mimic the chikungunya virus without the ability to infect cells, replicate or cause disease. This is an important public health development as chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the chikungunya virus. In 2024, 620,000 cases of chikungunya and over 200 deaths were reported worldwide. Most patients recover, but 30-40% of those affected may develop chronic symptoms that can last for months or even years. Recent data suggest that chikungunya is severely underreported and often misdiagnosed as dengue fever.

Since its discovery, the chikungunya virus has been identified in more than 110 countries, with evidence of transmission confirmed in more than 50 countries over the past five years. As climate change continues to expand the reach of mosquito-borne illnesses like chikungunya, this vaccine underscores the importance of cutting-edge solutions to safeguard travelers and vulnerable populations and is now a critical tool to combat this emerging and growing health challenge.

The intellectual property that is part of this non-exclusive license consists of 15 issued US patents and corresponding international patents related to the development and use of a VLP based chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine. The licensed technology includes plasmids for generating recombinant virus-like particle based CHIKV vaccines and a production cell line required for characterization, research, development, and manufacture of such vaccines. Use of VLPs is an important safety feature since they only mimic the chikungunya virus without the ability to infect cells, replicate or cause disease.

The Licensing Executives Society has awarded NIH, and specifically NIAID as the technology came out of its Vaccine Research Center, a 2025 Deal of Distinction Award.