Oxford Vacmedix and CHAIN Biotech have signed Heads of Terms for a Collaboration Agreement to develop and commercialise oral vaccines targeting cancer & infectious disease
Oxford, UK – 4th January 2020 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release – OVM CHAIN Collaboration
Oxford 4th Jan 2020; Oxford Vacmedix (OVM), the UK based biopharma company, focused on the development of a new generation of cancer vaccines, announced today that Heads of Terms for a Collaboration Agreement have been signed with CHAIN Biotechnology (CHAIN).
The collaboration builds on a successful Innovate UK funded research programme between the University of Oxford and CHAIN 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 was successfully administered orally using the CADDTM delivery system and stimulated a specific systemic CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response via the gut mucosa.
The Collaboration Agreement is structured for OVM and CHAIN to co-develop specific oral vaccines. 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.
William Finch, CEO of Oxford Vacmedix said:
“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.”
Edward Green, CEO of CHAIN Biotech, added:
“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 deliver novel oral vaccines that provide significant patient benefits.”
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
William Finch, CEO, Oxford Vacmedix
T: +44 (0)7769 903711
E: wfinch@oxfordvacmedix.com
Notes to Editor
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
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 engineered to deliver a specific therapeutic modality, whilst also secreting metabolites that play key roles in gut and immune system homeostasis. The engineered strains deliver and produce the therapeutics in situ during growth in the lower gastrointestinal tract, impacting on the mucosal immune system.
The CADDTM platform supports oral drug delivery that is targeted and controllable. In addition, the 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 oral drug delivery.
For more information, please visit: https://www.chainbiotech.com