OctoPlus and SingVax announce collaboration to develop single-shot Japanese encephalitis vaccine

27-Sep-2005

OctoPlus and SingVax Pte Ltd announced their collaboration to co-develop a single-shot Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine. Existing JE vaccines typically require two or three doses. By creating a single-shot JE vaccine the companies aim to achieve increased patient compliance and greater efficacy of the vaccine. As such, it will help protect more people from this life threatening disease. OctoPlus and SingVax target a significant proportion of the estimated US$400 million global market for JE vaccines. The companies are moving the product towards clinical trials in the next two years. To date, no single-shot JE vaccine exists that is available on an international scale.

Co-development of this single-shot vaccine will be carried out at both OctoPlus in the Netherlands and SingVax in Singapore. The work will utilise OctoPlus' proprietary delivery systems for the controlled release of drugs and antigens, and the PER.C6® technology licensed by SingVax from Crucell for the manufacturing of JE viral particles. During this collaboration, SingVax will be responsible for a range of vaccine development activities, including assay development, production of JE viral particles and GMP manufacturing of the JE virus. OctoPlus will be responsible for formulation development and GMP manufacturing of formulated product. OctoPlus and SingVax will share the costs and profits for the co-development activities and will work exclusively with each other in the development of a single-shot JE vaccine.

OctoPlus' proprietary drug delivery systems are based on injectable, biodegradable microspheres that allow the controlled release of drugs and antigens. Benefits of controlled release include reduced injection frequency, and increased patient comfort and compliance. To create this single-shot JE vaccine, OctoPlus and SingVax will encapsulate the JE viral particles within the microsphere. As the cross-links of the microsphere's matrix degrade over time, this will provide pulsed release of the JE viral particles. The rate at which the matrix degrades can be modified to ensure maximum efficacy of the vaccine.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/49191/octoplus-and-singvax-announce-collaboration-to-develop-single-shot-japanese-encephalitis-vaccine.html