Crucell and US Navy Sign Agreement to Test AdVac®-based Vaccine Against Anthrax and Plague
Crucell N.V. announced that it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Naval Medical Research Center of the US Navy to construct AdVac®-based vaccines against anthrax and plague and test them in non-human primates.
Like Ebola and Marburg, anthrax and plague are among the so-called 'Category A' agents, which are considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to pose a significant risk in the event of use as bioterrorist agents. Category A agents can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person-to-person, result in high rates of mortality, may cause public panic and require special action for public health preparedness.
Crucell is already in the course of developing an Ebola vaccine with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the US National Institutes of Health and the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), utilizing adenovirus vector technology and PER.C6® production technology. The same technology will be used for the collaboration with the US Navy on anthrax and plague. Under the terms of the CRADA, Crucell has obtained an option on exclusive commercialization rights to any vaccine that could result from the collaboration.
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