Case Study: Debiopharm achieves single-dose COVID-19 vaccine solutions with Wazoku

How a global biopharmaceutical company asked the Wazoku Crowd for ideas around a new single-dose version of COVID-19 vaccinations

Debiopharm, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company, ran an open innovation Theoretical Challenge via Wazoku (launched on InnoCentive) to find a single‑dose COVID‑19 mRNA vaccine that delivers the same level of protection as current two‑dose regimens. The global call attracted 133 registered solvers from 34 countries, yielding 40 submissions (33 of which were fully evaluated).

Two winning proposals were selected and awarded a total prize fund; one offered a formulation that improved storage stability (allowing temperatures closer to 0°C) and the other showed biological evidence of enhanced nonviral RNA transfection. Both solutions are being tested and developed further by Debiopharm, and the internal team’s use of open innovation won a company award for innovation.

Debiopharm

Bertrand Ducrey

Chief Executive Officer