SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ImmuneRegen BioSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. , today announced it has finalized a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with VaxGen Inc. . As part of the agreement, ImmuneRegen will receive the pharmaceutically active ingredient of VaxGen’s anthrax vaccine candidate, recombinant Protective Antigen, or rPA, to be tested at one of ImmuneRegen’s partnering labs. Commercial terms of the MTA were not disclosed.
VaxGen’s rPA102 anthrax vaccine is composed of a purified rPA and an aluminum salt adjuvant routinely used in many vaccines. ImmuneRegen will be testing for adjuvant activity of ImmuneRegen’s Viprovex(R) in combination with VaxGen’s rPA.
“We are hoping to find that our compound, Viprovex, will demonstrate adjuvant activity in a rabbit model with the VaxGen vaccine,” said Hal Siegel, Ph.D., Senior Director of Product Development and Regulatory Affairs, ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc. “From work we and others have already performed, we hope the adjuvant activity we recently reported in our studies with influenza vaccines in mice will be mirrored in testing of Viprovex with VaxGen’s rPA antigen.”
Initial studies in a well-established mouse model system have revealed that Viprovex can both prophylactically and therapeutically have positive effects in mice exposed to lethal doses of anthrax. Tests results indicated that animals exposed to lethal doses of anthrax spores were treated with different doses of Viprovex either before or after anthrax exposure and survival ranged from 20% to 70%.
The MTA with ImmuneRegen BioSciences is separate from VaxGen’s effort to partner its recombinant anthrax vaccine program with another company for the purpose of carrying on the development and commercialization of the rPA102 product candidate. The company recently completed several milestones including the development of multiple vaccine formulations showing greatly improved stability, the completion of bulk drug manufacturing process validation and the production of clinical-grade bulk drug inventory.
“We are eager to work with such an exceptional vaccine candidate,” says ImmuneRegen CEO and Founder Michael Wilhelm. “With the previous success that the rPA vaccine has seen in the lab against anthrax we are convinced that there is no better candidate to test with our potential adjuvant.”
About Viprovex(R)
Viprovex(R) is the trade name used in referring to formulations of Homspera(TM) for potential indications for treatment of viral and bacterial infections. Homspera is a generic name used by the Company to describe the synthetic peptide Sar9, Met (O2)11-Substance P. Sar9, Met (O2)11-Substance P is an analog of the naturally occurring human neuropeptide Substance P, which can be found throughout the body, including in the airways of humans and many other species. All of the Company’s research and development efforts are early, pre-clinical stage and Homspera, as Viprovex(R) has only undergone exploratory studies to evaluate its biological activity in small animals.
About ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc.
IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., is a development stage biotechnology company focused on the research and development of Homspera(TM) and its derivatives Radilex(TM) and Viprovex(R), which are designed to be used as countermeasures for multiple homeland security bioterrorism threats. Homspera is derived from Substance P, a naturally occurring peptide immunomodulator and homeostatic compound with the dual effect of improving pulmonary function and the stimulation of the human immune system. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.immuneregen.com.
Statements about the Company’s future expectations, including statements about the potential for the Company’s drug candidates, science and technology, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. These future events may not occur as and when expected, if at all, and, together with the Company’s business, are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from expected results as a result of a number of factors, including the fact that preliminary results involved only a small number of test mice, the subsequent investigations were limited in scope, the uncertainties inherent in research and development collaborations, pre- clinical and clinical trials and product development programs, (including, but not limited to the fact that future results or research and development efforts may prove less encouraging than current results or cause side effects not observed in current pre-clinical trials) the evaluation of potential opportunities, the level of corporate expenditures and monies available for further studies, capital market conditions, and others set forth in the Company’s periodic report on Form 10-QSB for the three months ended March 31, 2007 and on Form 10-KSB for the twelve months ended December 31, 2006 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are no guarantees that any of the Company’s proposed products will prove to be commercially successful. The Company undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Michael K. Wilhelm http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=62606
ImmuneRegen BioSciences
CONTACT: W. Jason Grimley of Spelling Communications, +1-310-477-9500,jgrimley@spellcom.com, for ImmuneRegen BioSciences
Web site: http://www.immuneregen.com//
