Intervacc awarded grant to optimise production processes for a fusion protein, which is one component of a prototype vaccine for pigs
Summary
Stockholm, August 17, 2023 - Intervacc AB (publ) announces that it has been awarded an industrial research grant from Vinnova as part of a project with Testa Center, Uppsala, Sweden, to optimise the manufacturing processes of one component for a prototype vaccine for pigs.Intervaccs innovative technology utilises fusion proteins in vaccines to generate broad-acting immune responses that provide protection to animals from complex bacterial diseases. Streptococcus suis causes meningitis, sepsis and arthritis in young piglets, leading to significant costs to the pig industry throughout the world. Early proof-of-concept studies found that the consumption of colostrum from sows that were vaccinated with Intervaccs prototype vaccine against Streptococcus suis provided significant levels of protection to piglets at 4 and 7 weeks of age against challenge with a virulent strain of Streptococcus suis.Testa Center provide access to a lab environment with a modern, pilot-scale testbed to optimise the scale-up processes required to manufacture biologics. The new industrial research project provides a grant to Intervacc of 800k SEK funded by Vinnova, which corresponds to about 70% of the cost of this development phase at Testa Center.We are very pleased to be extending our work with Testa Center to begin the development of the scale-up processes required to produce our prototype vaccine to protect piglets against Streptococcus suis infection, said Dr. Andrew Waller, CSO of Intervacc, this new project represents another step on our path towards easing the burden caused by this important swine pathogen, in addition to minimising the requirement to treat this infection with antimicrobial agents.At Testa Center we are delighted to be providing our expertise and facilities to help Intervacc optimise the small-scale manufacturing processes of this first vaccine component in preparation for further manufacturing and testing, stated Dr. Jesper Hedberg, CEO of Testa Center.For more information please contact:The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above on August 17, 2023, 15.10 CET.Intervacc AB is a Swedish company within animal health developing vaccines for animals. The Intervacc share has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market since April 2017 with Eminova Fondkommission AB as Certified Adviser.Testa Center is a private-public initiative between the Swedish government and Cytiva to secure the growth of the life science industry and its manufacturing capabilities.