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New flu vaccine from PepTcell could provide immunity
against all strains of influenza virus
Data presented at leading Influenza conference
High Wycombe, UK 18th June 2007 … Previously undisclosed pre-clinical
data showing how a new flu vaccine has the potential to protect against all
strains of influenza, including pandemic and annual, was presented today by
PepTcell, at the 2007 Options for the Control of Influenza VI (Options)
Conference, in Toronto, Canada.
The pre-clinical results, which will be published in the European Journal of
Immunology, showed how mice vaccinated with PepTcell’s novel flu vaccine, FLU-v,
had a significantly increased survival rate when challenged with a lethal dose
of influenza virus, compared with those that received a control vaccine.
Dr Wilson Caparros-Wanderley, PepTcell’s Chief Scientific Officer said: “These
are extremely encouraging results for PepTcell’s FLU-v vaccine. They show that a
vaccine, targeted at parts of the virus which do not change from year-to-year,
can be effective against lethal influenza strains.”
The data showed how PepTcell has used a novel proprietary prediction algorithm
to locate conserved immunogenic regions in animal and human strains of flu
virus. The analysis identified six highly conserved regions within several
proteins that are capable of triggering an immune response.
These six regions were then chemically synthesised as small protein fragments
called peptides. The resulting preparation, FLU-v, was used to immunise eight
transgenic mice. At the same time a group of eight control mice were immunised
with a set of non-related peptides.
Following immunisation with FLU-v the mice launched a specific T-cell immune
response of the CD8+ subtype against the peptides. T-cells are part of the
immune system, helping to fight off infection and disease by killing abnormal
cells. The CD8+ T-cells isolated from the mice showed activity against human
cells infected with three unrelated influenza strains in in vitro tests. This
experiment confirmed that the peptide sequences in Flu-V are highly conserved
across strains, and that these peptides are naturally presented on the surface
of flu-infected cells, and therefore can be recognised by the immune system.
When the immunised mice were subsequently challenged with a lethal dose of
influenza, the researchers found that fifty seven percent of the mice who had
been immunised with the FLU-v vaccine survived, compared with none of the mice
in the control group.
Greg Stoloff, Managing Director of PepTcell, commented: “These results suggest
that PepTcell’s FLU-v vaccine could eliminate the need for annual flu
vaccination as the immunity generated targets regions of the virus that remain
constant. The results also suggest that FLU-v has the potential to provide
effective protection against a pandemic flu strain by enabling stockpiling and
the initiation of a worldwide vaccination program ahead of an outbreak.”
PepTcell is in the process of finalising all the manufacturing processes for its
vaccines, and expects FLU-v to enter Phase I clinical trials during 2008.
-ENDS-
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About the European Journal of Immunology
Gregory A Stoloff, Wilson Caparros-Wanderly: Synthetic multiepitope peptides
identified in silico induce protective immunity against multiple influenza
serotypes. European Journal of Immunology. 2007. Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH
& Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission.
About PepTcell Ltd
PepTcell is a biotechnology company focused on applying its breakthrough
technology to the development of a new class of vaccines – T-cell vaccines –
against highly mutagenic viruses. The Company began operating in 2004, however
the founding shareholders and key employees have been working on this novel
concept for over 20 years.
Since its inception, the Company has completed the majority of its pre-clinical
work for its influenza and HIV vaccines. PepTcell’s lead product Flu-V, a single
treatment flu vaccine is about to enter clinical trials in the UK. The vaccine,
developed to be effective against all strains of flu virus (technical animation
available) could eliminate the need for annual flu vaccinations.
PepTCell, a private Company, headquartered in High Wycombe, UK is in the process
of finalising all the manufacturing processes for its Flu-V vaccine, and
successfully raised capital from a range of investors.
For further information please visit the website at
www.peptcell.com
PepTcell’s Influenza Vaccine – Flu-v
The Company’s lead product, Flu-v, has been developed to provide a single
treatment flu vaccine which is effective against all strains of flu virus,
including pandemic strains.
Current flu vaccines only work against specific virus strains. As these strains
mutate frequently, vaccines also need to be updated. As such they do not provide
protection against emerging flu strains, such as seasonal or avian flu. Using a
novel proprietary epitope prediction algorithm, PepTcell has successfully
identified immunogenic regions of flu virus that have not changed over 60 years,
in both human and animal strains of the virus. This allows Flu-v to target
conserved regions of the virus conferring long-term protection against the
threat of emerging strains.
Unlike traditional vaccines which are grown in highly specialised facilities and
whose production is limited by egg supply and the process of growing a vaccine,
Flu-v can be quickly and easily manufactured in chemical plants. This allows the
vaccine to be made and administered in large quantities prior to a pandemic
outbreak, enabling a large proportion of the world to be protected. The vaccine
has now reached a very exciting stage of its development. The majority of
preclinical proof of principle studies are complete and the vaccine will soon
begin clinical trials in the UK.
About Influenza
Influenza pandemics are caused when new strains of influenza viruses to which
humans have no immunity develop the ability to replicate and spread efficiently
in humans. Historically, pandemics have occurred three to four times per
century, with twentieth-century pandemics occurring in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The
most severe of these was the 1918 ‘Spanish influenza’ pandemic, in which an
estimated 40 million people died worldwide. All three of the twentieth century
pandemics were caused by viruses related to avian influenza.6 In 2005, the World
Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement noting that the world is ‘closer to
a further pandemic than it has been at any time since 1968’.7 This is largely
because of outbreaks of disease caused by the so-called ‘H5N1’ strain, which has
recently become widespread in bird populations in South- East Asia. Since
December 2004, it is estimated that over 250 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza
have been treated globally, with a fatality rate (i.e. infected individuals
killed by the virus) of 60%.
Find more information on Flu-v visit
www.peptcell.com
For further information please contact:
Northbank Communications
Katja Stout, Christelle Kerouedan, Tony Stephenson
Tel: +44 (0)20 7268 3002
E-mail:
peptcell@northbankcommunications.com
At PepTcell
Gregory Stoloff
Managing Director
Tel: + 44 (0)870 351 4608
Email: gregory.stoloff@peptcell.com
Dr Stuart Robinson
Head of Business Development
Tel: +44 (0) 870 734 6520
Email: stuart.robinson@peptcell.com
Dr Wilson Caparros-Wanderley
Chief Scientific Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 870 351 4614
Email: wilson.wanderley@peptcell.com
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