Genocea Biosciences, a vaccine discovery and development company, today
announced an exclusive worldwide license for developed countries to a
portfolio of Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens from Children’s
Hospital Boston. PATH and Genocea retain certain co-exclusive rights to
the antigens for use in developing countries under their collaboration
agreements with Children's Hospital Boston. These antigens were
identified through a 2008 research collaboration between Genocea, PATH
and Children’s Hospital Boston to develop a protein subunit vaccine.
This license grants Genocea the right to develop and commercialize
vaccines that incorporate these novel antigens.
“The antigens we discovered with Genocea and PATH may prove invaluable
in the development of vaccines to prevent the devastating diseases
associated with S. pneumoniae infection.”
“This agreement results from our successful collaboration with PATH and
Children’s Hospital Boston,” said Staph
Leavenworth Bakali, Genocea’s president and chief executive officer.
“The acquisition of rights to these co-developed S. pneumoniae
antigens significantly bolsters our vaccine development pipeline. By
leveraging our antigen vaccine technology, we hope to develop the next
generation vaccine and significantly improve both the activity and cost
effectiveness of existing multivalent pneumococcal vaccines.”