Bellerophon Project awarded €5.5m by EU to develop S. aureus vaccine
A consortium comprising Imaxio, the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, the European Vaccine Initiative and Preclin Biosystems has been awarded a major FP7 grant to support development and Phase I clinical trial for the vaccine
Imaxio, a French biopharmaceutical company focused on vaccines, with its partners from the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, UK, the European Vaccine Initiative based in Germany and Swiss CRO Preclin Biosystems, has received €5.5m from the European Union to support the Bellerophon Project, which aims to develop a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).
The funding will be used to complete pre-clinical tests as well as a Phase I clinical trial in humans in 2016.
The Bellerophon Project forms part of the 2012–2013 edition of the Seventh Framework Programme initiated by the European Community for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7).
S. aureus causes a range of serious infections and is responsible for approximately 16,000 deaths annually in Europe and 19,000 in the US. Additional studies suggest that at least €380m in annual European costs are attributable to S. aureus, as well as several billion USD each year in the US1. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus strains, such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant S. aureus), is creating a serious public health threat around the world and an increasing economic burden.
This reinforces the confidence we have in our proprietary pro-immunogenic technology
‘We are proud that the European Commission has chosen to support the Bellerophon Project and provide funding which will enable the consortium to progress our promising technologies and to conduct a Phase I clinical trial,’ said Alexandre Le Vert, Chief Executive of Imaxio. ‘This reinforces the confidence we have in our proprietary pro-immunogenic technology, IMX313, which has been evaluated as part of this application.’
Imaxio uses IMX313, its antigen re-engineering technology, to develop recombinant vaccines with improved effectiveness for applications in both human and animal health.
The firm was created through the merger of Diagnogene and Avidis, a spin-off from the Medical Research Council and Cambridge University in the UK.
1. Lee BY et al 2013. The economic burden of community associated methicillin resistant S. aureus. Clin Micro Infect 2013: 19(6):528. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22712729.
Kock R, et al. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): burden of disease and control challenges in Europe. Euro Surveill. 2010;15(41):pii=19688. http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx
