May 26 2011
Medicago Inc. (TSX: MDG), a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) for the development of a plant-based VLP vaccine candidate for the prevention of Ebola. Ebola is a very serious hemorrhagic fever virus for which no licensed treatment or vaccine exists.
"We are currently working on several other important infectious disease targets outside of influenza," said Louis Vezina, Chief Scientific Officer of Medicago. "Our expertise in the development of VLP vaccines using our transient expression system, coupled with USAMRIID's experience and knowledge creates an ideal combination for the rapid development of a new generation of efficacious and competitive VLP vaccines."
Medicago's VLP plant-based technology is being utilized in multiple preclinical and clinical trials. Medicago remains on track to report final phase II clinical trial results for its H5N1 vaccine candidate this quarter along with U.S. phase I clinical trial results for its seasonal flu vaccine candidate.
SOURCE Medicago Inc.
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