VaxThera

About Us

We are a Colombian biotechnology company that develops products and services contributing to health sovereignty in Colombia and the region, positively impacting people's health.
We have built a business ecosystem comprising three companies that bring together complementary capabilities.
to advance our vision and expand our impact:
VaxThera SAS
Dedicated to the packaging, finishing, production, and commercialization of products. It is located in Rionegro, Antioquia.
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VaxThera Zona Franca
Dedicated to the packaging, finishing, production, and commercialization of products. It is located in Rionegro, Antioquia.
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VaxThera LLC
Located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, it is dedicated to the research and development of biologicals.
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History

The company was conceived by Jorge E. Osorio (DVM, PhD) and Juan Pablo Hernández-Ortiz (PhD)—the co-founders—who, as researchers and professors at public universities in both Colombia and the United States, possess extensive experience and are well-recognized in the sector. In 2021, Seguros SURA Colombia joined as a founding partner with the aim of strengthening this alliance and contributing to the realization of this initiative.
This led to the creation of VaxThera, a Colombian company that aims to address the need for the reindustrialization of the healthcare sector by locally producing vaccines and biological products. Drawing on its founders’ scientific expertise—particularly in vaccine development—as well as their deep understanding of the country’s epidemiology, the company seeks to develop solutions for Colombia and the broader region.
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VaxThera

over time
2021
enero 2021
January
Begin the selection of the team.
2021
febrero 2021
February
Scientific training at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for the Research and Development team.
2021
junio 2021
June
Official company launch
2021
Septiembre 2021
September
Creation of VaxThera Zona Franca.
2021
noviembre 2021
November
Incorporation of VaxThera LLC.
2022
Febrero 2022
February
Start of construction on the production plant.
2022
Abril 2022
April
International (PCT) and Argentine patent application to protect UniVax, our proprietary COVID-19 vaccine.
2022
Agosto 2022
August
Approval of Free Trade Zone status for the production plant. Winners in the ANDI innovation ranking.
2022
Agosto 2022
August
We received a favorable opinion from the FDA regarding the preclinical results for our COVID-19 vaccine. We were selected as beneficiaries of a MinCiencias call for proposals for the development of vaccines against Zika, Chikungunya, and yellow fever.
2022
Octubre 2022
October
Recognition from Innos, Afidro, and Universidad El Bosque for our contribution to the health innovation system in Colombia.
2022
Diciembre 2022
December
Winners of the ANDI "Innovation + Country" call for proposals.
2023
Abril2023
April
Beneficiaries of a call for proposals launched by the USDA in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin–Madison for the development of a veterinary vaccine against COVID-19.
2023
Juniol2023
June
Inauguration of research facility.
2023
Diciembre 2023
December
Launch of our Personalized Immunization Program in partnership with SURA.
2024
Abril2024
April
We have received the Ntensify™ system from Quantoom Technologies—a technology unique in the country and across Latin America—which fully automates the cell-free production of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, ensuring a more efficient, safer, and higher-quality process.
2024
Mayo 2024
May
We are celebrating the completion of the first phase of our biologics plant in Rionegro, Antioquia. Across its 15,000 m², we will produce more than 100 million vaccine doses annually.
2024
Mayo 2024
May
We launched VaxThera’s first solution: personalized prevention programs that, in partnership with various companies, have protected thousands of people across more than 20 cities in Colombia against severe influenza.
2024
Junio 2024
June
The USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) granted us a patent for a universal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
2025
Febrero 2025
February
We signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen the research, development, and production of biological products and other health technologies.

Purpose

VaxThera is a biotechnology company that seeks to transform science, research, and development into benefits that contribute to improving the quality of life in Latin America, while providing the region with the health independence it needs to confront future diseases.

Higher purpose

Contribute to the health security and quality of life of Latin Americans
We aim to ensure that Colombia and the region possess the human, technological, and logistical capabilities to protect themselves against potential emerging, re-emerging, and neglected tropical diseases. Learn more about health sovereignty!

Enablers:

  • Human talent: We recognize people as our key differentiator in developing organizational capabilities.
    Relationships based on trust: We foster long-term relationships with our stakeholders.
  • Education: We aim to eliminate indecision and encourage actions that lead people to embrace immunization as a tool for improving public health.
  • Technology: We create and develop platforms and processes that generate value for individuals and businesses.

Strategic Pillars

  • Quality: All our processes are based on best practices and ethical principles, ensuring safe and effective products.
  • Innovation: We have the capacity to adapt to changes in our environment, responding in an agile and creative manner.
  • Sustainability: We have sustainable social and environmental policies in place to guide our daily operations.

Corporate Principles:

  • Transparency: clarity and integrity are present in all our actions and relationships with our stakeholders.
  • Respect: we recognize the value of every individual and accept people just as they are.
  • Responsibility: we fulfill our commitments, while safeguarding the assets of the Company and our stakeholders.
  • Equity: we ensure equal treatment for all individuals, regardless of their social, economic, racial, sexual, or gender-related circumstances.

Ethics and corporate governance

Our company’s purpose is to contribute to the health security and quality of life of people in Latin America; to achieve this, we are guided by corporate principles that inform all our actions, both internal and external.

Code of Good Governance

A foundational policy that provides general guidelines for the conduct of the Company and its employees, which must be strictly followed within the relationships of trust built among its various internal units and stakeholder groups.

Código de conducta

It serves as a guide for decision-making, directs the expected behavior of our work teams in their interactions with various stakeholders, and helps identify situations that could impact business ethics or the society of which they are a part.

Política de datos personales

It defines the rights of the data subjects whose personal data the Company collects, as well as the principles, duties, purposes, communication channels, and procedures established for the proper processing of such data.

Corporate Governance

Jorge Emilio Osorio Benítez.

CEO and Founder of VaxThera

Dr. Osorio is a professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

He was also a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Inviragen, a biotechnology company that developed a novel chimeric tetravalent dengue vaccine, which successfully completed Phase 3 clinical trials. Furthermore, he has developed vaccines against chikungunya, influenza, rabies, plague, and many other emerging infectious diseases.

He served as Vice President of Research and Vice President of Government Affairs within the Vaccine Division of Takeda Pharmaceuticals. His career in the industry includes positions at Heska Corporation (Fort Collins, CO), Merial Ltd. (Athens, GA), and Chiron-PowderJect Vaccines (Madison, WI).

Juan Pablo Hernandez Ortiz.

CEO and Founder of VaxThera

He has over 15 years of experience in molecular engineering, focusing on the design of devices for the efficient, high-resolution presentation of long DNA molecules for genomic analysis, as well as the design of devices for early diagnosis. He has an h-index of 22, with 90 scientific articles published in international journals, one book, and 2 patents.

Actualmente es Profesor en el Departamento de Materiales y Nanotecnología de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia en Medellín. También ocupa cargos honorarios en el Departamento de Ingeniería Molecular de la Universidad de Chicago y en el Centro de Biotecnología de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison.

Seguros SURA Colombia

Seguros SURA Colombia is a leading company in the insurance sector, with over 80 years of experience in comprehensive risk management and the protection of individuals, businesses, and assets. It is part of Suramericana S.A.—which has a presence across several Latin American countries—and is distinguished by its focus on innovative solutions that combine insurance, health trends, and financial services.

A través de su modelo de gestión, promueve el bienestar, la sostenibilidad y la resiliencia de sus clientes. Actualmente impulsa estrategias digitales y de analítica para fortalecer la prevención, el acompañamiento y la evolución del aseguramiento en Colombia.

Juana Francisca Llano

President, Suramericana

He joined SURA more than 20 years ago, after completing his studies in Law and Political Science. Until 2020, he headed the Insurance Vice Presidency at Suramericana, where he led the acquisition of RSA’s operations in Latin America—a move that resulted in the creation of the corporate office. In April 2020, amidst the global pandemic, he assumed leadership of Suramericana, the corporate entity for Seguros Sura.

Juan David Escobar Franco

President, Seguros Sura Colombia

Since 2016, Juan David assumed the Presidency of Seguros SURA Colombia. With his leadership, the Company has diversified its portfolio of solutions and transformed the operating model to position itself as a manager of trends and risks, develop new markets in the country and maintain the largest market share of the national insurance industry. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Bancolombia and the Board of Directors of the Ballet Folklorico de Antioquia.

Juan Pablo Hernandez Ortiz.

CEO and Founder of VaxThera

He has over 15 years of experience in molecular engineering, focusing on the design of devices for the efficient, high-resolution presentation of long DNA molecules for genomic analysis, as well as the design of devices for early diagnosis. He has an h-index of 22, with 90 scientific articles published in international journals, one book, and 2 patents.

Actualmente es Profesor en el Departamento de Materiales y Nanotecnología de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia en Medellín. También ocupa cargos honorarios en el Departamento de Ingeniería Molecular de la Universidad de Chicago y en el Centro de Biotecnología de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison.

Fil Randazzo

Director general, Leverage Science

A scientist with over 30 years of experience leading science and technology projects—from initial concept to real-world impact—he currently serves as Senior Vice President of Science, Impact, and Special Initiatives at a Seattle-based science and technology fund. His previous roles include serving as Director of Leverage Science, LLC, Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Associate Director at Chiron Corporation. He holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Indiana University Bloomington.

Sue Ann Clemens

Tenured

A globally recognized leader in vaccinology and global health, with over 25 years of experience and contributions to more than 20 life-saving vaccines, including the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. She is currently a professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Siena, and a Senior Advisor to the Gates Foundation.

Jorge Emilio Osorio Benítez.

CEO and Founder of VaxThera

Dr. Osorio is a professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

He was also a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Inviragen, a biotechnology company that developed a novel chimeric tetravalent dengue vaccine, which successfully completed Phase 3 clinical trials. Furthermore, he has developed vaccines against chikungunya, influenza, rabies, plague, and many other emerging infectious diseases.

He served as Vice President of Research and Vice President of Government Affairs within the Vaccine Division of Takeda Pharmaceuticals. His career in the industry includes positions at Heska Corporation (Fort Collins, CO), Merial Ltd. (Athens, GA), and Chiron-PowderJect Vaccines (Madison, WI).

Juan Pablo Hernandez Ortiz.

CEO and Founder of VaxThera

He has over 15 years of experience in molecular engineering, focusing on the design of devices for the efficient, high-resolution presentation of long DNA molecules for genomic analysis, as well as the design of devices for early diagnosis. He has an h-index of 22, with 90 scientific articles published in international journals, one book, and 2 patents.

Actualmente es Profesor en el Departamento de Materiales y Nanotecnología de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia en Medellín. También ocupa cargos honorarios en el Departamento de Ingeniería Molecular de la Universidad de Chicago y en el Centro de Biotecnología de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison.

Luz Marina Velásquez

Vice President of Human Talent

Social Communicator – Journalist from the University of Antioquia, with specialization in Public Management from the Pontificia Bolivariana University. He worked for 10 years in the academic sector on projects associated with Communication for Development and Scientific Dissemination.

He is currently part of the boards of directors of ACRIP Central Region and the International Organization of Human Capital Managers – DCH, Colombia chapter.

Daniela Lopera Hernández

Director of Legal Affairs

A law graduate from EAFIT University in Medellín, she holds postgraduate degrees in Commercial Law from the Universidad del Rosario and in Financial Law from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Since 2021, she has served as Director of Legal Affairs at VaxThera.

She possesses experience in corporate, commercial, and contract law, leading legal matters and providing comprehensive support to the organization.

Juan Fernando Noreña

Plant Manager

A biologist from the University of Antioquia, with a background focused on microbiology, genetics, plant taxonomy, ecology, and limnology. He has over 15 years of experience leading teams in production, research, and development within pharmaceutical companies in the United States—specifically in areas such as manufacturing, quality control, filtration, sterilization, and aseptic processes, in compliance with cGMP standards.

In Colombia, he has participated in studies involving the characterization of sediments and the analysis of aquatic environments. His work integrates applied science with a focus on its impact on health and the environment.

Natalia Muñoz Durango

Director of Special Projects

A microbiologist from the University of Antioquia, she holds a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from the same institution and a doctorate from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Her work focuses on the immunological study of host-pathogen interactions and how hormones modulate the immune response.

She has over 15 years of experience in research, the development of animal models, and vaccine evaluation. Her background includes participation in clinical trials and the authorship of more than 20 scientific publications in international journals. She currently leads the special projects division at VaxThera.

Leonor Hidalgo Ciro

Director of Trust Relations and Sustainability

Lawyer from the University of Antioquia, holding a master’s degree in Political Studies from the National University of Colombia. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She has over 16 years of experience in designing, leading, and executing innovation projects in Colombia and possesses extensive knowledge of the national science, technology, and innovation system.

Javier Colorado

Commercial Director

A physician with experience in healthcare service management, he is a graduate of Universidad CES, where he also completed a program in Healthcare Auditing. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health and possesses a professional background in risk management, the implementation of care models, and the leadership of health programs focused on the well-being of the population.

He has led strategies in health insurance, health promotion and disease prevention, as well as in outpatient services and vector control. He currently serves as Commercial Director at VaxThera.

Karine Posada España

Medical Director

A physician who graduated from the University of Antioquia, she holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and a specialization in Social Protection Management from CES University. With experience in research, leadership, and management, she has contributed to the development of solutions in population health, palliative care, telemedicine, and technological innovation.

She has worked in both clinical settings and for health insurance organizations, leading programs focused on health promotion, disease prevention, and access to healthcare. Currently, she serves as a Medical Lead at VaxThera, where she oversees clinical studies and the generation of evidence to strengthen healthcare solutions.

Erwin Camacho

Research and Development Manager

Biologist with a focus on Biotechnology and a Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Sucre, as well as doctoral training in Tropical Medicine at the University of Cartagena.

His research experience includes the phylogenomic characterization of high-impact viral pathogens, the implementation of innovative strategies for arbovirus surveillance, and the development of vaccine candidates using various platforms, such as messenger RNA (mRNA) and viral vectors.

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