Sign in Subscribe
Pharmaceutical industry

BioQuest Inc. Partners with Biovector Therapeutics to Develop HIV Vaccine Candidate

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

BioQuest Inc. and Biovector Therapeutics S.A. have announced a partnership to cooperate in the evaluation and development of an HIV vaccine candidate. The agreement aims to create a therapeutic immune system stimulant capable of fighting HIV infection in infected individuals and potentially serving as a protective vaccine. The partnership brings together BioQuest's licensed technology from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Biovector's expertise and resources.

Key Takeaways:

  • The partnership involves the development of an HIV vaccine candidate using BioQuest's licensed technology from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
  • Biovector's technology, licensed from French Academic Institutes, includes the use of lipopeptide constructs to deliver CTL inducing antigens through the MHC Class I pathway.
  • The partnership aims to create a therapeutic immune system stimulant capable of fighting HIV infection in infected individuals and potentially serving as a protective vaccine.
  • BioQuest's Chairman of the Board-designate, M. Ross Johnson, Ph.D., stated that the company is pleased to have Biovector as a partner, bringing substantial expertise and resources to the project.
  • BioQuest's R. Wayne Fritzsche expressed excitement about the prospect of solving the 20-year-old riddle of an effective HIV vaccine.
  • The partnership's success depends on factors such as the timing and success of clinical trials, and the receipt of necessary approvals from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Statistics:

  • The partnership aims to develop an HIV vaccine candidate using a "cocktail" of peptides developed by Ralph Arlinghaus, Ph.D., and Jagan Sastry, Ph.D.
  • Biovector's technology has already been tested in healthy human volunteers in a safety study in France, showing its potential utility as a vaccine candidate.
  • The partnership involves milestone payments to BioQuest as development goals are met, with the remuneration structure not explicitly stated.

Sources:

  • BioQuest Inc. press release, April 13, 2000
  • U.S. Patent 5,128,319
  • U.S. Patent 6,015,564
  • U.S. Patent 5,993,823
  • Biovector Therapeutics S.A. (www.biovector.com)

Read more