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London, 5 August 2013: iQur, the UK biotechnology company, together with its partner the Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research (University of Oxford) is pleased to announce that that they will receive a grant of £152,000 from the Technology Strategy Board’s Biocatalyst fund to develop a novel malaria vaccine. This exciting partnership will allow the parties to develop a novel virus like particle (VLP) based vaccine using iQur’s proprietary tandem core™ technology.
Jenner Institute scientists are acknowledged world leaders in the identification of malaria antigens and the clinical development of potential vaccines. The collaboration with iQur will allow the Company’s expertise in VLP technology and product development to be applied to an area of clinical unmet need.
A proof of concept study will be carried out in which iQur will make VLPs carrying specific malaria targets that have been identified by the Jenner. If the project is successful, further funding will be sought to progress the targets into a clinical trial.
Professor William Rosenberg, CEO of iQur Ltd., said: “Malaria is a major global killer and there is no existing vaccine available. Scientists working at the Jenner have identified antigens that have the potential to stimulate protective immune responses. It is hoped that iQur’s tandem core technology can deliver these antigens to produce protective immune responses to this enormously important pathogen. We are very excited about working with the Jenner’s world leading malaria group.”
About iQur: is a London based biotechnology company, founded in April 2003 as a spin-out from the University of Southampton Liver group. Initially focused solely on liver disease, the company has focused on the development of its novel tandem core vaccine platform and applied it to a variety of diseases. More information may be found at www.iqur.com.
About Tandem Core Technology: iQur’s next generation vaccine platform can be used to develop vaccines that generate strong immunity to a range of different diseases. The tandem core technology is derived from the core protein found in hepatitis B virus (HBV). This protein readily forms virus like particles (VLP) which are used in several major vaccines currently on the market. VLPs are particularly attractive since they contain only protein and have no possibility of transferring potentially infectious viral nucleic acid. The core protein is very immunogenic (stimulating) and can lead to powerful immune responses. Furthermore, when other disease targets are inserted into the core protein, these too generate strong immune responses. However, the technology has a major limitation due to the instability of the VLP formed from these hybrid core molecules; an unstable VLP cannot generate strong immune responses. iQur’s next generation tandem core platform allows large inserts to be incorporated into the VLP resulting in a stable structure. These tandem core VLPs can then be used to generate strong and long-lasting immunity.
About the Jenner Institute at Oxford University: The Jenner Institute was founded in November 2005 to develop innovative vaccines against major global diseases. Uniquely it focuses both on diseases of humans and livestock and tests new vaccine approaches in parallel in different species. A major theme is translational research involving the rapid early-stage development and assessment of new vaccines in clinical trials.
The Institute comprises the research activities of over 20 Jenner investigators who head leading research groups spanning human and veterinary vaccine research and development. Together the Institute investigators comprise one of the largest non-profit sector research and development activities in vaccinology.
The Institute is a partnership between the University of Oxford and The Pirbright Institute and is the successor to the former Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research. The Institute is supported by the Jenner Vaccine Foundation, a UK registered charity, and advised by the Jenner Institute Scientific Advisory Board. For more information, go to: http://www.jenner.ac.uk/
For further information, please contact:
iQur Ltd
Professor William Rosenberg, CEO
Tel: +44 20 7691 1122
Email: info@iqur.com
Hume Brophy
Mary Clark, Hollie Vile
Tel: +44 20 3440 5654
Email: healthcareteam@humebrophy.com
Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.
London, 5 August 2013: iQur, the UK biotechnology company, together with its partner the Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research (University of Oxford) is pleased to announce that that they will receive a grant of £152,000 from the Technology Strategy Board’s Biocatalyst fund to develop a novel malaria vaccine. This exciting partnership will allow the parties to develop a novel virus like particle (VLP) based vaccine using iQur’s proprietary tandem core™ technology.
Jenner Institute scientists are acknowledged world leaders in the identification of malaria antigens and the clinical development of potential vaccines. The collaboration with iQur will allow the Company’s expertise in VLP technology and product development to be applied to an area of clinical unmet need.
A proof of concept study will be carried out in which iQur will make VLPs carrying specific malaria targets that have been identified by the Jenner. If the project is successful, further funding will be sought to progress the targets into a clinical trial.
Professor William Rosenberg, CEO of iQur Ltd., said: “Malaria is a major global killer and there is no existing vaccine available. Scientists working at the Jenner have identified antigens that have the potential to stimulate protective immune responses. It is hoped that iQur’s tandem core technology can deliver these antigens to produce protective immune responses to this enormously important pathogen. We are very excited about working with the Jenner’s world leading malaria group.”
About iQur: is a London based biotechnology company, founded in April 2003 as a spin-out from the University of Southampton Liver group. Initially focused solely on liver disease, the company has focused on the development of its novel tandem core vaccine platform and applied it to a variety of diseases. More information may be found at www.iqur.com.
About Tandem Core Technology: iQur’s next generation vaccine platform can be used to develop vaccines that generate strong immunity to a range of different diseases. The tandem core technology is derived from the core protein found in hepatitis B virus (HBV). This protein readily forms virus like particles (VLP) which are used in several major vaccines currently on the market. VLPs are particularly attractive since they contain only protein and have no possibility of transferring potentially infectious viral nucleic acid. The core protein is very immunogenic (stimulating) and can lead to powerful immune responses. Furthermore, when other disease targets are inserted into the core protein, these too generate strong immune responses. However, the technology has a major limitation due to the instability of the VLP formed from these hybrid core molecules; an unstable VLP cannot generate strong immune responses. iQur’s next generation tandem core platform allows large inserts to be incorporated into the VLP resulting in a stable structure. These tandem core VLPs can then be used to generate strong and long-lasting immunity.
About the Jenner Institute at Oxford University: The Jenner Institute was founded in November 2005 to develop innovative vaccines against major global diseases. Uniquely it focuses both on diseases of humans and livestock and tests new vaccine approaches in parallel in different species. A major theme is translational research involving the rapid early-stage development and assessment of new vaccines in clinical trials.
The Institute comprises the research activities of over 20 Jenner investigators who head leading research groups spanning human and veterinary vaccine research and development. Together the Institute investigators comprise one of the largest non-profit sector research and development activities in vaccinology.
The Institute is a partnership between the University of Oxford and The Pirbright Institute and is the successor to the former Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research. The Institute is supported by the Jenner Vaccine Foundation, a UK registered charity, and advised by the Jenner Institute Scientific Advisory Board. For more information, go to: http://www.jenner.ac.uk/
For further information, please contact:
iQur Ltd
Professor William Rosenberg, CEO
Tel: +44 20 7691 1122
Email: info@iqur.com
Hume Brophy
Mary Clark, Hollie Vile
Tel: +44 20 3440 5654
Email: healthcareteam@humebrophy.com
Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.
