Actelion creates Vaxxilon together with the Max Planck Society

29-Jun-2015 - Switzerland

Actelion Ltd announced the creation of a start-up, together with the Max Planck Society, in the field of synthetic carbohydrate vaccines. The new company, Vaxxilon, aims to discover, develop, and commercialize synthetic carbohydrate vaccines. Vaxxilon has licensed exclusive rights to multiple preclinical vaccine candidates and additional technologies from Max-Planck Innovation GmbH, the technology transfer office of the Max Planck Society.

Actelion is the principal investor and majority shareholder, having made a funding commitment of up to €30 million, to be released in tranches over a period of three to four years.

Jean-Paul Clozel, MD and Chief Executive Officer of Actelion, commented: "Actelion has had success in advancing the science of the endothelium, and translating it into therapeutic options for the PAH community. Our long-term success depends on building additional specialty areas. We have been impressed by the work performed by the team of Prof. Seeberger and I am very happy that Actelion can help to translate this work into prophylactic and therapeutic options."

The first preclinical candidates were discovered and synthesized by Prof. Dr. Peter Seeberger and his team at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, near Berlin. An additional key component of the technology was jointly developed by Prof. Seeberger and Prof. Gennaro de Libero of the University Hospital of Basel. Vaxxilon plans to advance its first vaccine candidate into man within 3 years.

Vaxxilon will be led by Tom Monroe who has served in multiple and varied roles of growing responsibility at Actelion over the past 15 years. Four accomplished chemists from Prof. Seeberger's group will form the initial scientific team at Vaxxilon, and recruitment will begin quickly for additional experienced personnel. Vaxxilon, a Swiss limited liability company, will be headquartered in Reinach, Switzerland, and a research facility will be established in Berlin.

The company will be overseen by a Board of Directors with representatives of Actelion, Prof. Seeberger, and an independent director as well as an observer from the Max Planck Society. David Stout, recently elected to the Actelion Board of Directors, and former President of Pharmaceutical Operations at GlaxoSmithKline, will serve as chairman

Original publication

Marco Cavallari et al.; "A semisynthetic carbohydrate-lipid vaccine that protects against S. pneumoniae in mice."; Nature Chemical Biology 10,950-956(2014).

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/153461/actelion-creates-vaxxilon-together-with-the-max-planck-society.html

Original publication

Marco Cavallari et al.; "A semisynthetic carbohydrate-lipid vaccine that protects against S. pneumoniae in mice."; Nature Chemical Biology 10,950-956(2014).

Topics

vaccines

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Organizations

Actelion Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Vaxxilon