Prokarium Acquires Key Oral Vaccine Technology

Prokarium Ltd recently announced it completed a key technology acquisition from Emergent BioSolutions Inc. The technology includes Emergent’s live Salmonella-based typhoid vaccine Typhella and its genetic technology spi-VEC. Prokarium will combine Typhella and spi-VEC with its proprietary genetic and formulation technologies to form Vaxonella, a versatile oral vaccine delivery platform.

Emergent has successfully conducted several Phase I and II clinical trials, which have shown Typhella to be safe and immunogenic as a typhoid vaccine. The combination with Prokarium’s plasmid stabilisation technology ORT-VAC, will enable the delivery of recombinant protein vaccines without needles or adjuvants. Prokarium plans to offer this Vaxonella platform to the biotech community on a licensing basis.

Prokarium will focus on the development of a dual oral vaccine against typhoid and ETEC (enterotoxigenic E. coli – a major cause of diarrhoea) for travellers and developing country markets. There are 22 million cases of typhoid every year resulting in 200,000 deaths, so an effective oral vaccine could have a significant impact. Currently there is no dedicated vaccine against ETEC, considered responsible for 300,000 to 500,000 deaths per year, mostly of young children.

“I am delighted with the acquisition of this technology from Emergent; the combination of their Salmonella vector with Prokarium’s technologies allows us to develop an advanced oral delivery platform, which gives Prokarium the potential to revolutionize vaccinations,” said Dr. Rocky Cranenburgh, Prokarium’s Chief Scientific Officer.

Live, attenuated bacteria have been used as vaccines for decades (eg, the BCG vaccine against TB). Prokarium’s Vaxonella technology advances their use as delivery systems for vaccines against a wide range of infectious diseases by modifying the bacteria to produce a foreign protein from the target pathogen, against which an immune response is directed. Vaxonella technology uses live Salmonella bacteria, which have been genetically modified to make them safe, to carry vaccines and deliver them to the immune system via the lining of the gut. The vaccines are produced from self-replicating DNA molecules called plasmids. With conventional bacteria, these plasmids are rapidly lost when the bacterial cells divide. Vaxonella strains incorporate a mechanism called ORT-VAC that prevents plasmid loss without relying on antibiotic resistance genes which otherwise could potentially transfer to pathogenic bacteria.

The advantages of this approach include the elimination of needles, the stimulation of an effective immune response via mucosal surfaces (the entry route for many pathogens) and a simple, cost-effective manufacturing process regardless of the vaccine antigen.

Prokarium has previously shown its ORT-VAC technology to be effective in preclinical models against plague, anthrax, and tuberculosis.

Prokarium is a biotechnology start-up company based in Keele and London, UK. The company develops cutting-edge genetic technologies to create the next generation of oral vaccines. Prokarium is currently looking for investment to develop its first pipeline product, a dual oral vaccine against typhoid and ETEC, a major cause of diarrhoea.

Cobra Biologics is a leading international clinical and commercial manufacturer of biologics and pharmaceuticals with three GMP-approved facilities. Cobra offers a broad range of integrated and stand-alone development services, stretching from cell line development through to the commercial supply of investigational medicinal product.

For more information about Prokarium, contact Ted Fjällman, Development Director, on +44 7811 367 729 or email ted.fjallman@prokarium.com or visit www.prokarium.com.