Comparison of the ORT-VAC system with conventional bacteria vaccine strains show that, post administration, the ORT VAC product is stable and the conventional strains highly unstable. In other experiments reported in the same paper, using a rigorous plague challenge model in rodents, proof-of-principle results published today show that a single oral dose vaccine achieved a high level of immunity against plague.

 

The results of this research collaboration are published today in the prestigious peer reviewed journal Infection and Immunity (Volume 73, Issue: 4 Page 2005), published by the American Society of Microbiology  (http://iai.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/73/4/2005).

 

Commenting on the results, Dr David Thatcher, Cobra’s CEO, said:

 

“Cobra’s scientists are renowned for their innovative approaches. Results from this publication could represent a breakthrough in vaccine strain development as they clearly demonstrate that ORT-VAC technology will allow the production and oral delivery of stable strains carrying a high number of copies of the vaccine gene per cell and therefore ORT-VAC strains are likely to have increased potency compared with conventional strains.”

 

Continuing Dr Thatcher says:

 

“The results also show that approaches to the development of high potency oral vaccine strains, using conventional molecular biology, lead to strains which rapidly lose their component antigen genes after administration and therefore are potentially less effective compared with the fully stabilised ORT-VAC vaccines. ORT-VAC approach avoids use of live bacteria which are antibiotic resistant and carry a serious potential of generating antibiotic resistant infection.”

 

The ORT-VAC technology allows easy oral administration and cost effective manufacture of vaccines. It is readily applicable to convert any suitable bacteria strain to an antibiotic–free ORT strain for DNA and recombinant protein vaccine delivery in humans.  Recombinant protein vaccines are becoming increasingly important as a prophylaxis and as a therapy.  ORT-VAC vaccines will have applications in cancer, HIV/Aids and tuberculosis as well as newly emerging diseases, such as avian flu.  It will also have utility against diseases such as anthrax posed by the threat of bioterrorism.

 

 

 

-Ends-

 

For further information please contact:

 

David Thatcher, Chief Executive Officer 

Cobra Biomanufacturing 

Tel: + 44 (0) 1782 714181

Mark Court/Rebecca Skye Dietrich 

Buchanan Communications 

Tel:+ 44 (0) 207 466 5000

Eileen Paul 

Northbank Communications 

Tel:+ 44 (0) 1260 296500

 

Notes To Editors:

 

About Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc

 

Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc is a leading international manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals to the lifescience industry. Founded in 1992, Cobra provides innovative manufacturing solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry covering DNA, virus, cellular therapeutics and recombinant protein products.

 

Cobra was the first company to develop and gain GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standard DNA manufacture in Europe, with specific expertise in DNA medicines.
A range of unique, patented technologies, underpins this revenue generating business.

 

Cobra floated on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange in June 2002 raising £7 million and raised a further £5.2 million in May 2003 in order to further expand capacity in Oxford UK.
www.cobrabio.com

 

ORT®Technology is a way of creating totally stable genetically engineered strains of micro-organisms without the use of antibiotics or antibiotic genes. Other technologies rely on either integrating the synthetic gene(s) into the bacterial chromosome or using antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes to amplify replicating mini-chromosomes (called plasmids) containing the new genes. In the vaccine field it has been known for 10 years that the former approach leads to poor strain productivity and the latter to strain instability. Use of antibiotics also creates the risk of passing on the antibiotic resistance genes to pathogens in the environment. Such events have occurred naturally to create MRSA super bug strains so ORT® strains are inherently safer for patients. ORT® technology avoids these problems.

 

Live Oral Vaccines are vaccines where the active agent is a live organism and is taken orally. Live vaccines have been based on attenuated strains of the disease-causing organism and historically this approach has been particularly effective in inducing protection against disease (e.g. BCG for tuberculosis). Attenuated live strains of Adenovirus and Salmonella have been used as oral vaccines against respectively respiratory illness and typhoid caused by the virulent parental strains. The advent of genetic engineering means that bacteria such as Salmonella can be genetically modified to carry new traits that can protect against a chosen disease not only diseases of the gut.

 

ORT-VAC Technology harnesses the advantages of conventional genetic engineering with the safer ORT® strain stabilisation technology. ORT-VAC allows rapid and simple construction of bacterial vaccine strains, capable of expressing massive quantities of synthetic antigenic proteins that can lead to protection against disease without the fear of creating antibiotic resistant strains which might be difficult to manage clinically. ORT-VAC technology can potentially be used to protect both against common infectious diseases such as meningitis, new diseases such as Avian Flu, old diseases posing a new threat such as those which could be used by terrorists and also cancer.

 

Statements contained within this press release may contain forward-looking comments which involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary from those contained in the forward-looking statements.  In some cases, you can identify such forward-looking statements by terminology such as ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘could’, ‘forecasts’, ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘estimates’, ‘predicts’, ‘potential’, or ‘continue’.  Predictions and forward-looking references in this press release are subject to the satisfactory progress of research, which is, by nature, unpredictable. Forward projections reflect management’s best estimates based on information available at the time of issue.