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Avecia to Develop Anthrax Vaccine With Increased Stability

Posted on: Monday, 12 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

BILLINGHAM, England, June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Avecia Biotechnology has received a US$3.9m grant from the US Government to develop a version of Thraxine (TM), an rPA (recombinant Protective Antigen)-based anthrax vaccine, with increased stability. Due for Completion by April 2008, and using leading-edge technologies, the programme aims to develop a version of Thraxine (TM) that can be stored, transported and used without the need for a conventional cold chain.

Improved temperature stability will simplify storage, transport and prolong shelf life, which could also reduce the overall cost of large scale vaccine provision.

The grant has been made to Avecia by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an agency of the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

Collaborators with Avecia on the new programme are: 1) Cambridge Biostability -glassification technology,

2) Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (Dstl) - microencapsulation technology,

3) Lyosolutions - freeze drying ...and, 4) XstalBio - crystallisation technology.

Avecia's Vaccines Business Manager Kevin Price commented: "The NIAID grant allows us to bring together an innovative vaccines technology team to develop a 'next generation' anthrax vaccine which could have technology benefits for the wider vaccines sector."

The requirement for an anthrax vaccine is being driven by the US Government for emergency use in the event of an anthrax-based attack on the US civil population. The latest NIAID award follows a US$71m contract awarded to Avecia in September 2003 for ongoing development of rPA vaccine.

Avecia and Dstl are also collaborating on the development of a new plague vaccine (RypVax(TM)) for NIAID, using similar protein-based technology to rPA. The plague vaccine programme is under a US$50m contract awarded to Avecia in October 2004.

The Grant has been funded wholly with US Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Grant No. 1 UC 1 A1067223-01.

Notes for Editors:

- rPA vaccine (Thraxine (TM)) is designed to induce immunity to infection from inhaled anthrax in a three-dose treatment cycle over several weeks. rPA (recombinant Protective Antigen) is a protein found in the anthrax bacterium and which is made in E coli using recombinant technology. The rPA is adsorbed onto an alum adjuvant before use. The anthrax bacterium is not present in the vaccine and anthrax cannot be caused by or contracted from the vaccine, its production process or any material associated with the process.

- Avecia Biotechnology is a privately owned biotechnology company with recognised leading positions in biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing, bio-defence vaccines and the manufacture of DNA medicines.. The company's Tees Valley, UK site has been developing processes and making protein-based biologics to cGMP since 1998. Products currently being worked on include medicines targeted at forms of cancer, heart conditions, stroke, growth and blood disorders. Avecia Vaccines is a strategic business unit within Avecia Biotechnology, responsible for development of Thraxine (TM) and RypVax(TM) vaccines as the basis for an expanded future portfolio. See http://www.avecia.com/.

Avecia Biotechnology

CONTACT: For further information contact: Bridget Hall, CommunicationsManager, Tel : +44-1642-367320, Mobile : +44-7796-938929, Fax :+44-1642-364463, E-mail: biotech@avecia.com. Roger Johnstone, Deben EditorialServices, Tel : +44-161-614-1450, Mobile +44-7841-433141, Fax :+44-161-614-1450, E-mail: rdj@debened.com

Source: PRNewswire

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