Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Amorfix Life Sciences and Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise (Prevent) of Saskatoon, have entered into a licensing agreement granting Prevent exclusive worldwide rights to Amorfix's lead amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) vaccines.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
The vaccines have shown efficacy in animal models of ALS and Prevent will now, at its expense, complete the development and conduct clinical trials.
As per the agreement, Prevent will receive the exclusive worldwide license to develop Amorfix’s DSE vaccines for the ALS field of use. Amorfix retains all rights to develop antibodies and diagnostics for ALS.
Prevent will also develop vaccine formulations, finish preclinical studies for regulatory approvals and conduct clinical testing of the vaccines at their cost.
Upon successful completion of Phase I clinical trials both parties have an option to lead the commercialisation process under a cost-sharing and revenue-sharing arrangement which includes royalty payments.
The licensed intellectual property includes Disease Specific Epitopes (DSE) and vaccines arising from Amorfix’s discovery platform using the ProMIS algorithm for prediction of DSEs on misfolded proteins. This approach enables the discovery of antibodies that recognise and inhibit only the misfolded protein which forms in the disease, while allowing the normal protein to continue to function.
Amorfix continues to discuss with potential partners alliances for the continued development of the antibodies and diagnostic applications for ALS and new projects for the ProMIS discovery platform. These alliances will be announced when they are completed.
Robert Gundel, president and CEO of Amorfix, said: “We are pleased the organisation in Canada for the commercialisation of vaccines, Prevent, has selected our vaccine technology and will take over the clinical development of our lead vaccine candidates for ALS.
“This validates the value of our ProMIS discovery platform, which we are using now to develop diagnostics, antibodies and vaccines for cancers and misfolded protein diseases.”
Naveen Anand, CEO of Prevent, said: “The Amorfix ALS vaccine intellectual property, and its development program, are a great addition to the Prevent portfolio pipeline. The program combines the right elements of academic research, industrial involvement, novel technology and medical needs to enable a good fit with our mandate.”