Oxford Vacmedix licences its novel diagnostic test for Anti Microbial Resistance to Changzhou Biotech for Greater China
Oxford, UK – 11th April 2024
Press Release – OVM licences AMR diagnostic to CBI
Oxford Vacmedix (OVM), the clinical stage company developing therapeutic cancer vaccines, announced today the grant of a licence for its novel diagnostic test for Anti Microbial Resistance (AMR) to Changzhou Biotech (CBI) for Greater China. The AMR diagnostic has been developed alongside OVM’s main therapeutic cancer vaccines, taking advantage of a grant from Innovate UK, the expertise in infectious disease in Professor Jiang’s department and OVM’s existing network with Imperial College London and the Ditan hospital in Beijing, China.
The output from this grant funded programme is a working prototype lateral flow immunoassay to detect the key antibiotic resistance enzyme KPC-2, which is particularly prevalent in China. The collaborative output in China, mostly through CBI, has been to test known positive samples to validate the test. The early results are very encouraging, due in a large part to the antibody that was developed for the project.
OVM has protected the antibody with a patent supported by confidential know how in the design and production of the assays. The patent application has been initially filed in the UK as the first step before the later international phase to confirm the territories that it will cover, including China.
The licence from OVM will grant CBI rights to develop and to commercialise the AMR diagnostic test in Greater China. In return OVM will receive an upfront payment, further development milestones and double-digit royalties on sales. Under the agreement CBI will run trials in Greater China and will manage all regulatory and commercial aspects of development. OVM will co-operate on all clinical development and will have access to the clinical trial data generated.
William Finch, CEO of OVM said:
“We are very pleased to have completed the initial development of the AMR diagnostic test and that CBI will be licensing it for China. CBI already has considerable expertise in diagnostics and is well placed to develop and commercialise the test in China.”
Professor Shisong Jiang, Founder and CSO of OVM added:
“The AMR project will sit very well alongside CBI’s ROP based diagnostic test for Tuberculosis, which has recently been approved for sale in China. AMR due to KPC-2 is widely prevalent in China and this test will really help to optimise treatment for patients in high dependency and intensive care.”
ENDS
For more information or to express an interest in investing in OVM Series B please contact:
William Finch, CEO, Oxford Vacmedix
T: +44 (0)1865 742087 | M: +44(0)7769 903711 | E: wfinch@oxfordvacmedix.com
Dr Anthony Coombs, Executive Chairman, Oxford Vacmedix
T: +44 (0)1865 742087 | M: +44(0)7919 002161 | E: acoombs@oxfordvacmedix.com
Notes to Editor
About Oxford Vacmedix
Oxford Vacmedix UK Ltd, based at the Oxford Science Park, UK, is a bio-pharma company that was spun out from the University of Oxford’s Department of Oncology and is utilising the novel proprietary platform technology of recombinant overlapping peptides (ROPs) invented by Professor Shisong Jiang. ROPs have been validated as a technology to stimulate broad and strong T cell immunity therefore forming a good platform for therapeutic vaccines and diagnostics in cancer and infectious diseases.
The technology uses the novel, proprietary platform of ROPs to design and develop therapeutic cancer vaccines and diagnostics with the potential for increased efficacy, lower costs, simpler regulatory pathways and synergy when used in combination with other immune oncology (IO) agents. The company has extensive contacts and collaborations in China through Changzhou Bioscience Group (CBIG) that is using the ROP platform for diagnostics in both cancer and in infectious diseases.
OVM is developing two lead vaccines, OVM-100 and OVM-200, focusing on unmet clinical need. OVM-100 is an HPV vaccine targeted at cervical cancer, and OVM-200 represents a new type of vaccine utilising survivin to target solid tumours including prostate, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Both vaccines will be tested as single agents and in combination with IO agents. OVM has a strong pipeline, with a diagnostic for anti-microbial resistance being tested and two other cancer vaccines is preclinical development.
OVM secured Series A investment from DxVx (formerly Cancer ROP), a leading South Korean biotech company, and from existing shareholders in China in 2018. The company is currently seeking Series B funding to advance OVM-200 to Phase 2 and OVM-100 into Phase 1 trials, as monotherapy and also in combination. In addition, the option of using MRNA delivery with the ROP technology is being developed in Professor Jiangs’s research unit.
For more information: https://www.oxfordvacmedix.com