Oxford Vacmedix and CHAIN Biotech collaborate to develop oral vaccines
Oxford Vacmedix and CHAIN Biotech have signed Heads of Terms for a Collaboration Agreement to develop and commercialise oral vaccines targeting cancer & infectious disease
Marlow, UK – 4th January 2021 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHAIN Biotechnology (CHAIN), a UK-based microbiome therapeutics company, focused on the development of oral vaccines, announced today that Heads of Terms for a Collaboration Agreement have been signed with Oxford Vacmedix (OVM).
The collaboration builds on a successful Innovate UK funded research programme between CHAIN and the University of Oxford using OVM’s recombinant overlapping peptide (ROP) vaccines integrated into CHAIN’s CADDTM oral drug technology based on engineered bacteria. The project results show that an ROP antigen designed for human papilloma virus (HPV) was successfully administered orally in mice using the CADDTM delivery system and that it stimulated an antigen specific systemic CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response via the gut mucosa.
The Collaboration Agreement is structured for OVM and CHAIN to co-develop a specific oral therapeutic vaccine for HPV and other oral vaccines targeting infectious disease and cancer. The benefits of oral delivery are compelling for the patient, with greater acceptability and ease of use with no injection related side effects. Oral vaccines based on CADDTM do not require any cold chain logistics and are relatively simple to manufacture. This reduces cost and supports widespread distribution. Furthermore, CADDTM oral vaccines can potentially stimulate a mucosal immune response at the site of infection offering improved efficacy.
Edward Green, CEO of CHAIN Biotech, said:
“We are delighted to be able to carry on the work started with the University of Oxford using an Innovate UK grant. This Agreement is our first external development partnership to exploit our innovative CADDTM oral drug delivery platform. We are excited about the therapeutic potential of OVM’s ROP technology and look forward to working together to develop novel oral vaccines that provide significant patient benefits”
William Finch, CEO of Oxford Vacmedix, added:
“We are very pleased to have signed these Heads of Terms for the Collaboration Agreement with CHAIN. The potential for effective vaccines that can easily be taken by mouth is enormous. If successful this development programme could lead to a new generation of orally delivered vaccines in cancer and potentially also in infectious diseases”
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Edward Green, Chief Executive CHAIN
T: +44 (0)775 3610798 | E: edward.green@chainbiotech.com
Notes to Editor:
About CHAIN Biotech
CHAIN Biotechnology is a microbiome therapeutics company based at MediCity Nottingham with a head office in Marlow. CHAIN develops oral vaccines and immuno-therapies targeting the lower gastrointestinal tract with several therapeutic candidates in pre-clinical development.
CHAIN’s Clostridium Assisted Drug Development platform (CADDTM) technology is based on a single, but highly effective, Clostridium bacterial strain that is engineered to deliver a specific therapeutic modality, whilst also secreting metabolites that play key roles in gut and immune system homeostasis. The engineered strains produce the therapeutics in situ during growth in the lower gastrointestinal tract, impacting on the systemic and mucosal immune system.
The CADDTM platform supports oral drug delivery that is targeted and controllable. In addition, our live biotherapeutics can be manufactured easily and cost-effectively and are highly stable (no cold chain logistics). The technology overcomes many of the challenges associated with drug delivery and vaccination.
For more information, please visit: https://www.chainbiotech.com
About Oxford Vacmedix
Oxford Vacmedix UK Ltd, based on the Oxford Science Park, UK, is a bio-pharma company that utilizes the novel proprietary platform technology of recombinant overlapping peptides (ROPs) invented by Dr Shisong Jiang. ROPs have been validated as a technology to stimulate broad and strong T cell immunity therefore forming a good platform for cancer therapeutic vaccines and diagnostics. The company is a spin-out of the University of Oxford and has extensive contacts and collaborations in China through Changzhou Bioscience that is using the ROP platform in both diagnostics and adoptive cell therapy.
For more information, please visit: https://www.oxfordvacmedix.com