EpiVax, Inc. enters license agreement with Novozymes Biopharma to advance pioneering treatment of autoimmune diseases

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Novozymes' Veltis® albumin-based half-life extension platform will help move Tregitope treatment for autoimmune diseases closer to clinical development.

EpiVax and Novozymes Biopharma today announced that they have entered a license agreement for the development of novel treatments for autoimmune diseases. The agreement follows two years of successful feasibility studies and it allows EpiVax to use Novozymes' albumin technologies to develop cutting edge immunotherapies. 

EpiVax has identified a set of natural peptide sequences, called Tregitopes, derived from Immunoglobulin G (IgG) that are potent activators of natural T regulatory cells (hence Tregitope). The initial application targeted by the Novozymes/EpiVax collaboration will be the development of a recombinant alternative to intravenous IgG (IVIG) treatment, a global market that exceeded $6 billion in 2014.

Tregitopes will be fused to albumin, a naturally occurring protein that can be found in human blood. Albumin works as a vehicle that transports the therapy throughout the body and increases the lifespan of the therapy. The albumin is produced by Novozymes and known as VELTIS®.

"We are delighted to move into a license agreement with EpiVax in this key area of autoimmune diseases treatment," says Peter Rosholm, Vice President at Novozymes Biopharma. "In combination with the technologies and know-how EpiVax holds, Novozymes' VELTIS makes it possible to develop a potential 'paradigm-shifting' treatment for autoimmune diseases."

Treatment of autoimmune diseases

Tregitopes were discovered in 2008 by the team of De Groot and Martin at EpiVax; the original discovery was published in the journal Blood in 2008^[1]. Tregitopes act as a natural immune system modulator and have been shown in standard preclinical models, and by collaborating laboratories, to suppress and treat autoimmune disease, allergy, and to effectively suppress the immunogenicity of co-administered proteins. Research at EpiVax has generated substantial evidence that Tregitopes may explain one of the mechanisms by which IVIG acts to treat autoimmune disease.

"Novozymes' proven solutions, technical expertise, and reputation as a reliable partner, makes it an ideal company for us to work with as we move our Tregitope immune-modulating technology even closer to clinical trials. After successful feasibility studies, we now move into the next phase, looking to develop a platform for immunomodulation that will change the way that we treat autoimmune diseases, allergy and transplantation," says Dr. Annie De Groot, CEO/CSO at EpiVax, Inc.

Novozymes has also recently announced a number of collaborations with other pharmaceutical companies. These companies can now evaluate Novozymes' albumin technology for potential new drug candidates. Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline achieved market approval for their new diabetes drug based on Novozymes' albumin technology.

"We consider this new license agreement yet another proof that VELTIS can offer true benefits for our customers seeking to develop longer lasting and better drugs," says Peter Rosholm .

About EpiVax

EpiVax, Inc. is a privately-held Providence, Rhode Island biotechnology company focused on the development of vaccines and biologic products for human and animal diseases. The company applies its immunoinformatics toolkit to design better biologics and vaccines, and to screen biologics for immunogenicity so as to reduce adverse effects in the clinic

EpiVax provides access to its proprietary tools to most major pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Led by Dr. Anne S. De Groot, M.D., immunologist and vaccine thought leader and Bill Martin, architect of the immunoinformatics platform, EpiVax has enjoyed success in the fields of immunology and bioinformatics. CEO De Groot was recently named one of the 50 most influential persons in the field of vaccines. For more information visit http://www.epivax.com.

About Tregitope

Tregitopes are a set of peptides that activate natural regulatory T cells. In vitro, co-incubation of antigens with Tregitopes in vitro leads to a suppression of effector cytokine and chemokine secretion, reduced proliferation of effector T cells, and expansion of antigen-specific adaptive Tregs (aTregs) leading to antigen-specific tolerance.

Tregitopes engage regulatory T cells, a natural mechanism for suppressing tissue-destroying immune cells that are the root cause of 'organ-specific autoimmune diseases' and, in transplant, 'graft-versus-host-disease'. In recognition of the importance of the Tregitope discovery for biologics, the American Association of Pharmacologists awarded Tregitope an "Innovation Award" in 2010: http://tinyurl.com/EpiVax-AAPS-Award

About Novozymes

Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation. Together with customers across a broad array of industries, we create tomorrow's industrial biosolutions, improving our customers' business and the use of our planet's resources.

With over 700 products used in 130 countries, Novozymes' bioinnovations improve industrial performance and safeguard the world's resources by offering superior and sustainable solutions for tomorrow's ever-changing marketplace. Read more at www.novozymes.com.

[1] De Groot A.S., L. Moise, J.A. McMurry, Erik Wambre, Laurence Van Overvelt, Philippe Moingeon, W. Scott, W. Martin, Activation of Natural Regulatory T cells by IgG Fc-derived Peptide "Tregitopes". Blood, 2008,112: 3303. http://tinyurl.com/ASDeGroot-Blood-2008

Press Contact:
Anne S. De Groot MD
CEO/CSO, EpiVax, Inc.
401.952.4227 or [email protected]

[email protected]
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SOURCE EpiVax, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.epivax.com