New preclinical findings show AI-discovered T-cell epitopes may improve control of CMV infection, adding to earlier evidence supporting the multi-component vaccine strategy’s potential to address a virus closely linked to congenital hearing loss.
Evaxion A/S, a clinical-stage TechBio company, presented new preclinical data for its cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine program EVX-V1 at the International Herpesvirus Workshop (IHW) 2026 in Montreal, Canada.
The data, shared in a poster session, show that AI-discovered novel T-cell epitopes incorporated into EVX-V1 have the potential to improve control of acute infection, latency, and reactivation in CMV-infected mice. These findings build on previously reported results in which novel B-cell antigens significantly reduced viral infection in preclinical models, and AI-optimized known structural B-cell antigens demonstrated superior viral neutralization.
EVX-V1 is designed using Evaxion’s proprietary AI-Immunology platform and combines novel AI-discovered antigens with AI-optimized versions of established CMV vaccine antigens. The multi-component approach targets the virus from several complementary angles simultaneously — a strategy the company says is expected to strengthen the vaccine’s protective potential and may offer a scalable model for rational vaccine development across other herpesviruses.
“We are excited by the new data which will guide the selection of antigens for a broadly protective CMV vaccine candidate and as such represent an important step forward for the EVX-V1 program. CMV remains a major clinical challenge, causing severe disease in immunocompromised individuals and infants, yet no licensed vaccine exists,” says Birgitte Rønø, chief science officer and chief operating officer of Evaxion, in a release.
Relevance to Hearing Healthcare
The development carries particular significance for the hearing health community. Congenital CMV (cCMV) is among the leading non-genetic causes of sensorineural hearing loss in children, with approximately 1 in 200 babies born with a cCMV infection. Of those, roughly 1 in 5 will experience long-term health problems — including intellectual disability and loss of vision and hearing. Audiologists and hearing healthcare professionals frequently encounter cCMV-related hearing loss across pediatric caseloads, and universal cCMV screening efforts have gained momentum in recent years as a strategy for earlier identification.
Despite decades of research, no CMV vaccine has been approved to date. The CMV treatment market was valued at $474.6 million in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.6% through 2032, driven by increasing awareness of CMV prevalence and the development of new treatment options.
About EVX-V1 and the AI-Immunology Platform
EVX-V1 incorporates a proprietary AI-optimized pre-fusion glycoprotein B (gB) antigen, which the company reports has demonstrated superior performance compared to the traditional gB antigen, including enhanced CMV neutralization. The AI-Immunology™ platform is designed to accelerate target discovery, drug design, and development by decoding immune system dynamics using artificial intelligence.
CMV, described as the most complex of all herpesviruses, is transmitted through body fluids and persists lifelong once contracted. CMV infects approximately 60% to 70% of adults in developed countries and close to 100% in developing economies. Among immunocompromised individuals — including organ transplant recipients — CMV can cause severe disease affecting the eyes, lungs, and liver.
Prenatal screening approaches to identify CMV-related hearing loss risk have also drawn increasing attention in the hearing health field, underscoring the clinical urgency around preventive strategies such as vaccination.
Evaxion is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and its team of more than 40 experts covers the full development pipeline from target discovery to clinical trials.
