Epimmune and Genencor Announce The Achievement of Pre-Clinical Milestone From Their Collaboration
- Hepatitis B EpiGene(TM) Product Candidate Selected -
PALO ALTO, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genencor International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GCOR - news) and Epimmune Inc. (Nasdaq: EPMN - news) today announced that they have identified an EpiGene(TM) clinical product candidate for the lead program in their collaboration, a therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine. Epimmune received an undisclosed milestone payment from Genencor as a result of the selection of the product candidate.
In July 2001 Genencor exclusively licensed Epimmune's epitope and PADRE® technologies and related intellectual property rights on a worldwide basis for vaccines to treat or prevent hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV) and human papilloma virus (HPV), and the two companies entered into a 30-month collaboration focused on development of therapeutic vaccines for the three viral indications. At that same time, Genencor took an initial 10 percent equity stake in Epimmune. In December 2001, Genencor invested again in Epimmune's private equity financing to maintain approximately that same ownership.
Dr. Debby Jo Blank, Genencor's chief business officer for health care said, ``At the time we announced the collaboration with Epimmune we indicated a target of 18-24 months in which to get the initial therapeutic vaccine candidate for hepatitis B into the clinic. With the achievement of this milestone we believe we are well on our way to meeting that objective.''
Bob Chesnut, Ph.D., executive vice president of research and development at Epimmune said, ``The selection of a product candidate on the lead program within six months of initiating the collaboration is testimony to the strong working relationship between Genencor and Epimmune and underscores the commitment Genencor has made to advancing vaccine candidates into the clinic as a component of their healthcare initiatives.''
About Epimmune
Epimmune Inc. is a leader in using gene maps of cancer-associated proteins and infectious agents to design vaccines that induce cellular immunity. The company's technology platform is based on its pioneering work in deciphering the genetic code which regulates T-cell activation and identifying antigen fragments known as epitopes which can activate highly targeted T-cell responses to tumors, viruses, bacteria and parasites. This new field of pharmacology opens two significant areas of pharmaceutical development: protective vaccines that activate T-cell protection against infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C, and therapeutic vaccines designed to stimulate antigen-specific T-cell responses to infections, such as HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HPV, and tumors such as breast, colon, lung and prostate. For more information on Epimmune, visit epimmune.com.
About Genencor
Genencor International is a diversified biotechnology company that develops and delivers innovative products and services into the health care and bioproducts markets. Using an integrated set of technology platforms, Genencor's products deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to many of the problems of everyday life.
Genencor was established in 1982 as a joint venture between Genentech Inc. and Corning Incorporated. Since its founding, Genencor has grown to become a leading biotechnology company, with over $315 million in annual revenues and over 3,400 owned and licensed patents and applications. Genencor, with more than 1,500 employees worldwide, has principal offices in Palo Alto, California; Rochester, New York; and Leiden, the Netherlands. |
