UPPSALA, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Isconova AB, a leading international vaccine adjuvant company and Genocea Biosciences, Inc., a vaccine discovery and development company pioneering a new class of T cell‐based vaccines, today announced the expansion of their collaboration granting Genocea the right to use Isconova’s Matrix M™ in vaccines targeting two additional diseases.
The new disease targets included in the global collaboration are malaria and gonorrhoea. Genocea currently has the right to use Matrix M™ in vaccines targeting six infectious diseases including programs in its pipeline for herpes simplex virus type-2, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The lead program of the collaboration is a therapeutic vaccine for herpes simplex virus type-2. HSV-2 is a sexually transmitted disease that is estimated to infect more than 500 million people worldwide. Genocea expects to initiate human trials with this program in 2012.
Chip Clark, CEO of Genocea commented;
“A safe and effective adjuvant that elicits strong B and T cell immune response is essential to our aim to prevent or treat the world’s most intractable infectious diseases. For that reason we are delighted to expand our collaboration with Isconova for Matrix M.”
Lena Söderström, CEO of Isconova, commented;
“We are pleased that the very promising vaccine discovery and development company Genocea has selected Isconova's Matrix M™ for use in two additional diseases, thus confirming the strengths of our products. All the targeted diseases of the collaboration have high unmet medical needs and therefore significant commercial potential.”
TO THE EDITORS
About Isconova
Isconova AB is a leading international vaccine adjuvant company. Isconova has vast knowledge of vaccine systems and the company develops vaccines together with partners in the human and veterinary markets. The first vaccine using Isconovas nano-particle Matrix technology, Equilis®Prequenza, was launched on the veterinary market in 2005. In the human market a number of vaccines are under development with Isconova’s third generation nano-particle, Matrix MTM. Isconova’s partners include Crucell, Pfizer, Merck & Co., The Jenner Institute, Genocea and Evolva. The Company is headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden.
Isconova was listed on NASDAQ OMX First North (ticker: ISCO) in November 2010. E. Öhman J:or AB is the Company’s Certified Adviser. www.isconova.com
About Genocea Biosciences
Genocea Biosciences is a vaccine discovery and development company targeting major infectious diseases with high unmet medical needs, in which T cell response helps confer protection. The company’s transformational discovery platform mines the natural immune response across diverse human populations in a way that radically reduces the risk, cost and time associated with antigen discovery. Genocea is currently developing vaccines for herpes simplex-2 (therapeutic and prophylactic), a sexually transmitted disease affecting roughly 15 percent of the U.S. population; Chlamydia trachomatis, a sexually transmitted disease agent causing an estimated 90 million cases worldwide; Streptococcus pneumoniae, the leading killer of children under the age of 5 worldwide; and Plasmodium falciparum (malaria), of which there are more than 100 million cases globally. Visit www.genocea.com for more information.
CONTACT:
Isconova
Lena Söderström, +46 70-816 39 12
CEO
[email protected]
or
Genocea
Chip Clark, +1 617-876-8191
CEO
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: Europe Sweden
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Biotechnology Clinical Trials Infectious Diseases Pharmaceutical Other Health Research Science
MEDIA:
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