Groningen, the Netherlands, 28 September 2010 -- Dutch biotechnology company Mucosis B.V. announced today that it has entered into a
collaboration agreement with the global health nonprofit organization PATH to pursue
the use of the company’s Mimopath™ technology in oral vaccines to prevent and treat
severe diarrhea.
Severe dehydrating diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children in
developing countries and frequently causes disease in travelers visiting those areas.
Shigella and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) are the leading bacterial causes of diarrhea.
Currently, no vaccines against those bacteria exist. PATH supports the development of
Shigella and ETEC vaccines.
Because Mimopath™-based vaccines have the potential to raise a strong immune
response in the gut after oral administration, PATH is supporting Mucosis to establish
proof of concept in animals. PATH will cover the company’s research costs up to
US$600,000. If proof of concept is generated, the collaboration may be expanded.
“We are very proud to collaborate with PATH in applying our technology to the vital
task of finding new vaccines targeting the threat of Shigella and ETEC,” said Govert
Schouten, CEO of Mucosis.
Mucosis already collaborates with PATH on intranasal pneumococcal vaccines based on
Mimopath™. This program started in 2009.
For further information please contact:
Govert Schouten
CEO Mucosis
+31 (6) 55320948
govert.schouten@mucosis.com
www.mucosis.com
About Mucosis
Mucosis B.V. is a Dutch biotechnology company that has developed a proprietary
vaccine platform technology, Mimopath™ , on which it develops mucosal vaccines with
improved efficacy. Mucosis’s lead products are FluGEM™, a vaccine to prevent
influenza, and PneuGEM™, a vaccine preventing diseases caused by pneumococcal
bacteria. Mimopath™ -based vaccines can be administered needle-free in the nose and
mouth, evoking a more natural immune response with a broader base of protection.
About Mimopath™ technology
Mucosis’s Mimopath™ technology is based on Lactococcus lactis, a safe bacterium
commonly used in the food industry. Mucosis has developed a robust technique to
formulate the L. lactis bacteria into non-living bacterium-like particles (BLPs) that can be
loaded with antigens from viral, bacterial, parasitic or tumor origin. The antigen-covered
BLPs form a vaccine that can be delivered into the nose or mouth, without the need for
a needle. These vaccines raise protective immunity by activation of both the innate and
the adaptive immune system.
About PATH
PATH is an international nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally
relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor
health. By collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps
provide appropriate health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people
think and act. PATH’s work improves global health and well-being. For more
information, please visit www.path.org.