ClearPath Development Company Launches Third Collaboration Under Strategic Partnership With Astellas Pharma to Develop Staphylococcus Aureus Vaccine With Boston Children’s Hospital

ROCKVILLE, Md. and BOSTON, Dec. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ClearPath Development Company (ClearPath) announced today it has initiated a third research collaboration with Astellas Pharma to combat infections. The new collaboration, executed by a ClearPath subsidiary, ClearPath Vaccines Company, LLC (“ClearPath Vaccines”), will leverage a vaccine design platform invented at Boston Children’s Hospital to develop a vaccine to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infections, a major pathogen for health care associated infections (HAI).

HAIs, such as those caused by S. aureus, represent a major public health burden, costing the US healthcare system an estimated $9.8 billion annually (1). Currently, there is no vaccine available for any of the major nosocomial pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and including organisms that are responsible for the majority of highly antibiotic resistant bacteria. In 2015, ClearPath and Astellas formed the Nosocomial Vaccine Corporation (NVC), to develop vaccines targeted at other nosocomial pathogens including those with multiple antibiotic resistance.

“HAIs are a significant global health concern and preventing them will require vaccines targeting many different pathogens,” said George Siber, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, ClearPath Vaccines. “Our work with Boston Children’s Hospital allows us to leverage the highly innovative Multiple Antigen-Presenting System (MAPS) for creating novel vaccine formulations that may provide broad protection against the most challenging pathogens.”

The ClearPath Vaccines development team will be led by Dr. Siber and Donna Ambrosino, M.D., industry leading vaccine experts each with more than 35 years of experience. Prior to joining ClearPath, Dr. Siber was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Wyeth Vaccines Research where he oversaw the approval and marketing of six childhood vaccines including Prevnar, Meningitec, Rotashield and FluMist. Dr. Ambrosino previously served as CEO of MassBiologics and oversaw development of monoclonal antibody products including Rabishield for prevention of rabies launched in 2017 by Serum Institute of India and Bezlotoxumab for C. difficile, launched by Merck in 2017.

The team at Boston Children’s Hospital will be led by Rick Malley, M.D. a recognized expert in infectious diseases, vaccine development, and a co-inventor of the MAPS platform technology with Drs. Fan Zhang and Yingjie Lu. “We are thrilled to work with ClearPath Vaccines and Astellas on this very important pathogen for which vaccines are sorely lacking. We believe that MAPS may enable the development of a highly efficient vaccine to tackle S. aureus invasive disease and mucosal infections.”

“This collaboration brings together a motivated team with a novel approach to addressing one of our most unrelenting healthcare challenges,” said Dr. Ambrosino Chief Medical Officer, ClearPath Vaccines. “Operating within the innovative ClearPath framework, we expect to streamline and accelerate development of a much-needed candidate vaccine.”

1. Eyal Zimlichman, Daniel Henderson, Orly Tamir, Calvin Franz, Peter Song,Cyrus K. Yamin,Carol Keohane, Charles R. Denham, David W. Bates. Health Care-Associated Infections: A Meta-analysis of Costs and Financial Impact on the US Health Care System. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.9763

About ClearPath Development Company:
ClearPath Development Company, a subsidiary of RRD International, works with leading biopharmaceutical companies to expand product pipeline opportunities with complementary development and finance capabilities. Its business model provides biopharmaceutical companies with an alternative mechanism for accelerating product development. This model is highly capital-efficient for development of early-stage assets, enables accelerated development for existing company assets and external assets under consideration for in-licensing, and helps de-risk development projects with tailored financing structures. For more information, visit www.clearpathdevco.com.

About Astellas:
Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. They focus on Urology, Oncology, Immunology, Nephrology and Neuroscience as prioritized therapeutic areas while advancing new therapeutic areas and discovery research leveraging new technologies/modalities including vaccines. They are also creating new value by combining internal capabilities and external expertise in the medical/healthcare business. Astellas is on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at www.astellas.com/en.

About Boston Children’s Hospital:
Boston Children’s Hospital, the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is home to the world’s largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center. Its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. Today, more than 2,630 scientists, including nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 11 Howard Hughes Medical Investigators comprise Boston Children’s research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children’s is now a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. For more, visit our Vector and Thriving blogs and follow us on social media @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube.

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SOURCE ClearPath Development Company