iBio, Inc. (NYSE AMEX: IBIO) today announced that the US Patent Office has allowed patent application 11/706,576 entitled "Bacillus anthracis Antigens, Vaccine Compositions, and Related Methods." The claims cover compositions and methods for fusions of sequences of Bacillus anthracis antigens for protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF), and combinations thereof to LicKM, which is part of the Company's iBioModulator™ platform.
Upon issue, this patent will add to iBio's iBioModulator portfolio that includes recently issued US patent 8,173,408 giving broad coverage of the iBioModulator system, and US patent 8,124,103 covering influenza antigens fused to LicKM. The iBioModulator platform has been shown to be applicable to a range of vaccine proteins, and can significantly modify the immune response to a vaccine in two important ways. Animal efficacy studies have demonstrated that it can increase the strength of the initial immune response to a vaccine antigen (as measured by antibody titer) and also extend the duration of the immune response. Thus, the use of the iBioModulator platform may lower vaccine antigen requirements and enable fewer doses to establish prolonged protective immunity.
The ability to provide better immune response and longer-term protection with fewer or zero booster inoculations adds significant value to a vaccine by reducing the overall costs and logistical difficulties of its use. Such improvements in vaccine effectiveness are important for public health reasons and also for bio-defense purposes. For example, the only vaccine for anthrax currently approved for use in the U.S. requires an initial series of five doses to achieve adequate protection.
"The iBioModulator platform is separate and independent from our plant-based biologics technology," said Robert B. Kay, iBio's Chairman and CEO. "Although we recommend its use together with our iBioLaunch platform to achieve maximum efficiency in producing the fused protein, the iBioModulator is usable independently and is applicable to recombinant vaccines made with any system. We expect strong interest in its use by both corporate and government clients."
"This patent will provide further opportunities for commercial development of our iBioModulator platform for subunit vaccine products," said Robert Erwin, iBio's President. "Application of this technology to anthrax is timely because of the threat posed by anthrax due to its potential use in bioterrorism and recent outbreaks among wildlife in the United States. There is a clear need for an improved vaccine for anthrax and for improved production methods that allow for safe, mass-production at a reasonable cost."
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