Date: Jun 29, 2009 Source: (
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Leading Vaccine Adjuvant Developer Taps Cutting-Edge Antigen Discovery Engine
BURLINGAME, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing adjuvanted
vaccines for infectious diseases, today announced the signing of a definitive
agreement with Antigen Discovery, Inc. (ADi) to access ADi`s proprietary
high-throughput protein microarray screening system to discover novel
disease-specific antigens to fuel Juvaris` vaccine pipeline. Juvaris will
sponsor research for multiple disease targets and pay ADi upfront payments,
development milestones and royalties on licensed products in exchange for full
product development rights to all fields except diagnostics, which will belong
to ADi.
"Access to the ADi platform is a critical step in Juvaris` mission to become the
preeminent private vaccine company," said Grant Pickering, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Juvaris. "The assembly of cutting-edge antigen discovery
with our best-in-class adjuvant technology is a significant event for Juvaris
and puts us in a unique position to develop a full range of high-value vaccines
to prevent or treat infectious diseases."
ADi`s antigen discovery platform involves assaying the entire proteome of a
disease target to identify every possible protein antigen. The selected antigens
are derived from reactive antibodies generated by infected individuals and
therefore mimic the presence, accessibility, and antigenicity of relevant
proteins from the particular pathogens in humans. This process distinguishes
antigens that best stimulate the immune system and are thus ideal targets for
vaccine and diagnostic development. ADi has successfully identified and refined
more than 1,500 immunodominant and serodiagnostic antigens via the screening of
thousands of human subjects across dozens of pathogens. Through the
collaboration, Juvaris will select the optimal antigens from the ADi discovery
efforts to combine with its proprietary adjuvant technology to create highly
immunogenic prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against major unmet medical
needs.
"This broad collaboration with Juvaris allows us to leverage our validated
antigen discovery engine for vaccine development," said Keith B. Hoffman, Ph.D.,
head of business development for ADi. "After screening thousands of patient
samples, we have proven the utility of our platform across multiple infectious
diseases. We very much look forward to working with Juvaris to discover
important antigens to facilitate not only vaccine development to prevent or
treat disease, but also diagnostics to manage disease."
Infectious diseases result in a quarter of worldwide deaths each year. The
majority of diseases where vaccines have not been developed to date are highly
complex organisms that require novel technologies, such as ADi`s, to facilitate
discrimination of protective antigens from a large number of non-protective
antigens.
Juvaris` lead adjuvant, JVRS-100, is a cationic lipid-DNA complex that has been
shown in clinical development to induce significant CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell
mediated immune responses and improved antibody responses without additive
toxicity. Research indicates that the mechanism of action of JVRS-100 is
distinct from other known adjuvants. JVRS-100 self-assembles with
disease-specific antigens and thus serves as both an immunostimulant and vaccine
delivery vehicle. JVRS-100 is in development in vaccine constructs targeting
multiple infectious diseases.
About Juvaris
Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage company developing adjuvanted
vaccines and immunotherapeutics to treat infectious diseases and cancer. The
Company`s lead product candidate, JVRS-100, is currently in clinical development
as an adjuvant to improve the efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccines in the
elderly population. The Company is also developing vaccines for HSV-2, universal
flu and pandemic flu. Juvaris completed a Series A financing led by Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers and has been awarded multiple NIH grants. More
information about the Company can be obtained at: www.juvaris.com.
About Antigen Discovery Inc.
Antigen Discovery Inc. is a privately held biotech company with a proven
technology platform that harnesses advanced bioinformatics, genomics and
proteomics to discover biomarkers for improved and novel diagnostic products,
vaccines and therapeutic proteins. ADi has partnerships with The Gates
Foundation, The Centers for Disease Control, FIND Diagnostics, NIH, NIAID,
InBios International, SBRI, Kaketsuken, UC Irvine, the Public Health Research
Institute, and the US Navy. More information about the Company can be obtained
at: www.antigendiscovery.com.
