DGAP-News: Cytos Biotechnology Ltd announced that A*STAR and Cytos bring Singapore's first influenza vaccine to clinical testing.
(firmenpresse) - EquityStory AG-News: Cytos Biotechnology AG / Key word(s): Study
Cytos Biotechnology Ltd announced that A*STAR and Cytos bring
Singapore's first influenza vaccine to clinical testing.
17.05.2013 / 07:00
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17 May, 2013
A*STAR AND CYTOS BRING SINGAPORE'S FIRST INFLUENZA VACCINE TO CLINICAL
TESTING
The vaccine based on Cytos' Virus-Like Particle technology may open the
door to accelerated production of influenza vaccines in Singapore.
Singapore and Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, May 17, 2013 - Singapore's
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Switzerland's
Cytos Biotechnology AG today announced that the first healthy volunteer has
been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial with their H1N1 influenza vaccine
candidate based on Cytos' proprietary bacteriophage Qbeta virus-like
particle (VLP) technology. In this first Phase 1 clinical trial, the safety
and immunogenicity of this novel vaccine candidate and its potential to
protect against H1N1 influenza infection will be evaluated.
A*STAR is developing the vaccine candidate under a collaborative research,
development and commercialization agreement entered into with Cytos in 2010
, with the goal of providing the government of Singapore an effective means
of combatting influenza epidemics and pandemics. Under the agreement, Cytos
retains the worldwide right to develop and commercialize the vaccine
candidate globally, while A*STAR subsidiaries will have the right to
develop and commercialize the vaccine for Singapore and other ASEAN
countries and can earn royalties on worldwide net sales.
Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR and Co-Chair of the Biomedical
Sciences Executive Committee in Singapore said, 'This is the first time
Singapore is attempting to make its own flu vaccine. In the wake of the
recent H7N9 bird flu outbreak, it is timely that A*STAR is bringing
Singapore's first H1N1 flu vaccine into Phase 1 clinical trial. This
different approach of making flu vaccines will better respond to the needs
of a flu outbreak. I am pleased that the collaboration with Cytos is making
a meaningful contribution to Singapore's pandemic readiness, a critical
aspect of our national security. The success of this potential vaccine will
be of significant impact not only to the region but also the world.'
Christian Itin, PhD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cytos,
commented, 'We are very pleased with the fruitful collaboration which has
led to the clinical start of this novel influenza vaccine. This is an
important milestone for the program and the first clinical program using
Cytos' B-cell vaccine platform for a prophylactic vaccine against an
infectious disease.'
Professor Alex Matter, Chief Executive Officer of D3 (Drug Discovery and
Development) and A*STAR's Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC) said, 'If
this VLP-vaccine strategy proves to be effective, it can accelerate the
production of vaccines against new emerging strains of flu. This will
greatly aid Singapore's preparedness to produce vaccines quickly, safely
and economically in the event of a flu epidemic. This could potentially
open doors for faster production of vaccines to a range of viral diseases
as well.'
http://www.a-star.edu.sg/Portals/0/media/Press%20Release/20100715_ASTAR-Cy
tos%20flu%20vaccine.pdf
http://www.nrf.gov.sg/nrf/strategic.aspx?id=380
A*STAR's Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC) was the primary driver of
the multi-institutional effort culminating in the start of the clinical
development program, which involved academic and clinical partners across
Singapore, namely A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), DSO
National Laboratories and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. Since early
2012, D3, which works hand in hand with Cytos and other local entities, has
been leading the development of the H1N1 influenza vaccine project aiming
to achieve proof-of-concept in humans. This Phase 1 clinical trial is being
conducted at the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit and the Changi
General Hospital Trials and Research unit in Singapore.
For further information, please contact:
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Sarah Chang, Ph.D.
Tel: (65) 6826 6442
Email: chang_kai_chen(at)a-star.edu.sg
Cytos Biotechnology AG
Harry Welten
Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +41 44 733 46 46
e-mail: harry.welten(at)cytos.com
US Investor enquiries
Susan A. Noonan
Tel: +1 (212) 966 3650
e-mail: susan(at)sanoonan.com
About Influenza Infection and Vaccination
According to the World Health Organisation, it is estimated that 10 to 20
percent of the world's population are infected during seasonal influenza
epidemic, causing three to five million people to be seriously ill, and
killing 250,000 to 500,000 each year*. One of the most effective ways to
significantly reduce the incidence of death and serious illness from
influenza is through vaccination. In the case of a pandemic, it is vital to
be able to produce vaccines quickly and in large quantities to be able to
vaccinate the majority of the population prior to the spreading of the
pandemic influenza strain. The conventional way to produce influenza
vaccine using chicken eggs has limited yields, is time
consuming and sometimes constrained due to the toxicity of certain viral
strains to birds (e.g. H5N1 bird flu virus). Growing the virus in cell
cultures may get around strain toxicity, however the yields are also modest
and the production cost are very high.
*Monto, A.S. (2008). Epidemiology of influenza, Vaccine 26 Suppl 4, D45-48
About the Influenza Vaccine Developed By A*STAR and Cytos
Cytos' proprietary technology used for this vaccine overcomes the short
comings of conventional vaccines since all components can be produced
recombinantly at high levels in E.coli. The vaccine encompasses on the one
hand Cytos' clinically validated Qbeta VLP as an immunological carrier and
on the other hand the globular domain of hemagglutinin (HA) which is
displayed on the surface of the VLP. In the resulting non-infectious
vaccine the influenza antigen derived from the surface protein HA is
presented in a highly immunogenic manner to the immune system.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's
lead public sector agency that fosters world-class scientific research and
talent to drive economic growth and transform Singapore into a vibrant
knowledge-based and innovation driven economy.
In line with its mission-oriented mandate, A*STAR spearheads research and
development in fields that are essential to growing Singapore's
manufacturing sector and catalysing new growth industries. A*STAR supports
these economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial
capital to its partners in industry.
A*STAR oversees 20 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and
engineering research entities, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well
as their vicinity. These two R&D hubs house a bustling and diverse
community of local and international research scientists and engineers from
A*STAR's research entities as well as a growing number of corporate
laboratories.
For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg
About D3
D3 (Drug Discovery and Development) was established in 2012 to build strong
bridges between basic science and clinical research and development by
bringing early-stage scientific discoveries to 'proof-of-concept' clinical
trials in humans and generating economic benefit through the licensing of
clinical stage therapeutics. D3 builds on Singapore's existing drug
discovery capabilities and strengthens the local biomedical innovation
landscape. It was founded to be a cost-effective and professional
development partner able to advance and add value to early-stage projects
on a 'shared-risk, shared-reward' basis. D3's primary focus is on
developing drugs targeted at oncology indications and infectious diseases
but the door is open to other indications if a partner brings the necessary
disease knowledge. D3 is jointly funded by A*STAR, the Ministry of Health's
National Medical Research Council and the National Research Foundation. For
more information about D3, please visit www.d3.a-star.edu.sg
About Cytos Biotechnology Ltd
Cytos is a public biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of
targeted immuno-therapies. The Company's lead product candidate CYT003 is a
first-in-class immune modulator in Phase 2 clinical development as a
potential new treatment for allergic asthma.
CYT003 acts via a novel, allergen-independent mechanism of action to
selectively suppress the body's immune response to allergens, a predominant
risk factor for asthma. In a successfully completed Phase 2a study, CYT003
was shown to maintain asthma control and lung function in patients with
persistent allergic asthma, even as standard inhaled corticosteroid
treatment was withdrawn. CYT003 has been shown to be safe in over 450
patients to date.
Cytos was founded in 1995 as a spinoff from the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology (ETH) in Zurich. It is located in Schlieren (Zurich),
Switzerland. The Company is listed according to the Main Standard on the
SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd under the symbol CYTN.
www.cytos.com
This foregoing press release may contain forward-looking statements that
include words or phrases such as 'are intended for', 'are designed to', or
other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to
a variety of significant uncertainties, including scientific, business,
economic and financial factors, and therefore actual results may differ
significantly from those presented. There can be no assurance that any
further therapeutic entities will enter clinical trials, that clinical
trial results will be predictive for future results, that therapeutic
entities will be the subject of filings for regulatory approval, that any
drug candidates will receive marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration or equivalent regulatory authorities, or that drugs will be
marketed successfully. Against the background of these uncertainties
readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes
no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or adapt them to
future events or developments.
End of Corporate News
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17.05.2013 This press release was distributed by EQS CORPORATE
COMMUNICATIONS.
www.eqs.com - news archive: www.eqs.com/ch/presskit
The issuer is responsible for the contents of the release.
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Language: English
Company: Cytos Biotechnology AG
Wagistr. 25
8952 Schlieren
Switzerland
Phone: +41 44 733 4747
Fax: +41 44 733 4740
E-mail: info(at)cytos.com
Internet: www.cytos.com
ISIN: CH0011025217, CH0029060735
Swiss Security Number: -
Listed: Freiverkehr in Berlin, München, Stuttgart;
Frankfurt in Open Market ; SIX
End of News EquityStory AG News-Service
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