Lyon, France, October 14, 2014 – Imaxio, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in vaccines, today announces that it has signed an option for a license agreement with the world-renowned German Center for Cancer Research (DKFZ – Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum), based in Heidelberg. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The DKFZ is to make an internal evaluation of Imaxio’s IMX313 pro-immunogenic technology. It will be tested to enhance the efficacy of one of the Center’s candidate vaccines, which is indicated in the prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Certain strains of this virus are implicated in cervical cancers. Based on the results of testing, the Center will exercise its license option to continue with development of the candidate vaccine.
“We are delighted with this partnership with the DKFZ, a leading German cancer research institute. We hope that this first project will pave the way for a broader collaboration with the DKFZ, similar to the long-term collaboration that we have with the Jenner Institute at Oxford University (UK),” said Alexandre Le Vert, chief executive officer at Imaxio. “DKFZ’s interest in IMX313 boosts our determination to build on the technology to bring more effective vaccines to market, including vaccines that treat and prevent cancer.”
“This partnership with Imaxio illustrates DKFZ’s desire to develop innovative cancer research programs,” said Professor Martin Müller, director of the Research Group Tumorvirus-specific Vaccination Strategies. “We are pleased to be able to evaluate the potential of IMX313 with a candidate vaccine targeting HPV, a virus that represents a significant threat to the health of millions of women the world over.”
According to World Health Organization estimates, nearly 300 million women worldwide carry the human papillomavirus (HPV).
About Imaxio
Imaxio is a biotechnology company focused on immunology. It has a pipeline of vaccines for infectious diseases and immunotherapies in oncology that includes four internal R&D projects (one at the clinical stage), plus seven active R&D collaborations. Imaxio is a spin-off from the University of Cambridge (UK) and the Medical Research Council (UK). It is based in Lyon, France. The proprietary antigen re-engineering technology platform IMX313 is significantly improving vaccine efficacy. Using this technology, Imaxio works alongside several prominent international academic and industrial research teams to develop recombinant vaccines for infectious diseases (Influenza, Staphylococcus Aureus, tuberculosis…) and oncology. Imaxio has recently commercialized two pharmaceutical products for the French market: a human vaccine indicated for the prevention of an infectious work-related disease, called Spirolept(R), and Trolovol(R), an orphan drug indicated for a metabolic congenital disease. The company owns a solid IP portfolio and collaborates with numerous international partners, including the Jenner Institute at Oxford University (UK). Nine of the sixteen Imaxio employees are dedicated to R&D activities. In 2013 its turnover reached EUR 2.7 million.
More information - www.imaxio.com
About the German Cancer Research Center
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) with its more than 3,000 employees is the largest biomedical research institute in Germany. At DKFZ, more than 1,000 scientists investigate how cancer develops, identify cancer risk factors and endeavor to find new strategies to prevent people from getting cancer. They develop novel approaches to make tumor diagnosis more precise and the treatment of cancer patients more successful. The staff of the Cancer Information Service (KID) offers information about the widespread disease of cancer for patients, their families and the general public.
Jointly with Heidelberg University Hospital, DKFZ has established the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, where promising approaches from cancer research are translated into the clinic. In the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), one of six German Centers for Health Research, DKFZ maintains translational centers at seven university partnering sites. Combining excellent university hospitals with high-profile research at a Helmholtz Center is an important contribution to improving the chances of cancer patients.
DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers, with ninety percent of its funding coming from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the remaining ten percent from the State of Baden-Württemberg.
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