ImmuneRegen BioSciences Reports Material Transfer Agreement with VaxGen, Inc.
07 August 2007 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
VaxGen's Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine to be
tested with ImmuneRegen's Adjuvant SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 7
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ImmuneRegen BioSciences, a wholly owned
subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC:IRBO) (BULLETIN
BOARD: IRBO) , today announced it has finalized a Material Transfer
Agreement (MTA) with VaxGen Inc. (Pink Sheets: VXGN.PK). As part of
the agreement, ImmuneRegen will receive the pharmaceutically active
ingredient of VaxGen's anthrax vaccine candidate, recombinant
Protective Antigen, or rPA, to be tested at one of ImmuneRegen's
partnering labs. Commercial terms of the MTA were not disclosed.
VaxGen's rPA102 anthrax vaccine is composed of a purified rPA and
an aluminum salt adjuvant routinely used in many vaccines.
ImmuneRegen will be testing for adjuvant activity of ImmuneRegen's
Viprovex(R) in combination with VaxGen's rPA. "We are hoping to
find that our compound, Viprovex, will demonstrate adjuvant
activity in a rabbit model with the VaxGen vaccine," said Hal
Siegel, Ph.D., Senior Director of Product Development and
Regulatory Affairs, ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc. "From work we and
others have already performed, we hope the adjuvant activity we
recently reported in our studies with influenza vaccines in mice
will be mirrored in testing of Viprovex with VaxGen's rPA antigen."
Initial studies in a well-established mouse model system have
revealed that Viprovex can both prophylactically and
therapeutically have positive effects in mice exposed to lethal
doses of anthrax. Tests results indicated that animals exposed to
lethal doses of anthrax spores were treated with different doses of
Viprovex either before or after anthrax exposure and survival
ranged from 20% to 70%. The MTA with ImmuneRegen BioSciences is
separate from VaxGen's effort to partner its recombinant anthrax
vaccine program with another company for the purpose of carrying on
the development and commercialization of the rPA102 product
candidate. The company recently completed several milestones
including the development of multiple vaccine formulations showing
greatly improved stability, the completion of bulk drug
manufacturing process validation and the production of
clinical-grade bulk drug inventory. "We are eager to work with such
an exceptional vaccine candidate," says ImmuneRegen CEO and Founder
Michael Wilhelm. "With the previous success that the rPA vaccine
has seen in the lab against anthrax we are convinced that there is
no better candidate to test with our potential adjuvant." About
Viprovex(R) Viprovex(R) is the trade name used in referring to
formulations of Homspera(TM) for potential indications for
treatment of viral and bacterial infections. Homspera is a generic
name used by the Company to describe the synthetic peptide Sar9,
Met (O2)11-Substance P. Sar9, Met (O2)11-Substance P is an analog
of the naturally occurring human neuropeptide Substance P, which
can be found throughout the body, including in the airways of
humans and many other species. All of the Company's research and
development efforts are early, pre-clinical stage and Homspera, as
Viprovex(R) has only undergone exploratory studies to evaluate its
biological activity in small animals. About ImmuneRegen
BioSciences, Inc. IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc., through its wholly
owned subsidiary ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., is a development
stage biotechnology company focused on the research and development
of Homspera(TM) and its derivatives Radilex(TM) and Viprovex(R),
which are designed to be used as countermeasures for multiple
homeland security bioterrorism threats. Homspera is derived from
Substance P, a naturally occurring peptide immunomodulator and
homeostatic compound with the dual effect of improving pulmonary
function and the stimulation of the human immune system. For more
information, please visit the company's website at
http://www.immuneregen.com/. Statements about the Company's future
expectations, including statements about the potential for the
Company's drug candidates, science and technology, and all other
statements in this press release other than historical facts, are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such
forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created
thereby. These future events may not occur as and when expected, if
at all, and, together with the Company's business, are subject to
various risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could
differ materially from expected results as a result of a number of
factors, including the fact that preliminary results involved only
a small number of test mice, the subsequent investigations were
limited in scope, the uncertainties inherent in research and
development collaborations, pre- clinical and clinical trials and
product development programs, (including, but not limited to the
fact that future results or research and development efforts may
prove less encouraging than current results or cause side effects
not observed in current pre-clinical trials) the evaluation of
potential opportunities, the level of corporate expenditures and
monies available for further studies, capital market conditions,
and others set forth in the Company's periodic report on Form
10-QSB for the three months ended March 31, 2007 and on Form 10-KSB
for the twelve months ended December 31, 2006 as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. There are no guarantees that
any of the Company's proposed products will prove to be
commercially successful. The Company undertakes no duty to update
forward-looking statements. Available Topic Expert(s): For
information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
Michael K. Wilhelm
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=62606
DATASOURCE: ImmuneRegen BioSciences CONTACT: W. Jason Grimley of
Spelling Communications, +1-310-477-9500, , for ImmuneRegen
BioSciences Web site: http://www.immuneregen.com/
Copyright