Groningen, the Netherlands, Oct 8, 2012 / B3C newswire / - Mucosis BV, a clinical-stage Dutch biotechnology company developing innovative mucosal vaccines, today announced that it has signed a Research and License Option Agreement with Crucell Holland B.V. ("Crucell"), the Dutch developer of vaccines and antibodies. Crucell is one of the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. In the research collaboration, Crucell will make use of Mucosis's proprietary Mimopath® platform technology and know-how in Crucell's program for developing undisclosed novel vaccines to combat infectious diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Mucosis will receive upfront payments and could receive additional payments on the achievement of agreed upon milestones. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We are delighted to collaborate with Crucell as we strongly believe that our Mimopath® platform combined with Crucell's expertise in vaccine development create a substantial opportunity to develop differentiated and medically relevant vaccine candidates", said Thomas Johnston, CEO of Mucosis. "We are proud of the progress we've made to date in developing the Mimopath® platform, including our recent positive human clinical trials. We see this agreement as a further validation of our platform and its potential to combat infectious diseases. "
Mucosis B.V. is a clinical-stage Dutch biotechnology company with a proprietary platform technology, Mimopath®, on which it develops mucosal vaccines with improved efficacy. Mucosis's lead product is SynGEM®, a vaccine to prevent RSV viral infection. In addition, the company develops PneuGEM®, a vaccine to prevent diseases caused by pneumococcal bacteria and FluGEM®, a vaccine to prevent influenza. Mimopath®-based vaccines can be administered needle-free in the nose and mouth, evoking a more natural immune response with a broader base of protection.
About Mimopath® technology
The Mimopath® technology is based on Lactococcus lactis, a safe bacterium commonly used in the food industry. Mucosis has developed a robust technique to formulate the L. lactis bacteria into non-living bacterium-like particles (BLPs) that can be loaded with antigens from viral, bacterial, parasitic or tumor origin. The antigen-covered BLPs form a vaccine that can be delivered into the nose or mouth, without the need for a needle. These vaccines raise protective immunity by activation of both the innate and the adaptive immune system.
For further information please contact:
Chief Executive Officer
+31 (50) 8200050