The latest Business updates from the science industry


by Heather Hobbs


Grant-funded COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate on Horizon for Clinical Trials


Biological materials and pharmaceutical manufacturer Cobra Biologics has entered an agreement with Scancell to provide GMP production of plasmid DNA needed to produce Scancell’s DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, which is to be used in a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2021 (COVIDITY). The project is funded by an Innovate UK grant awarded to the consortium between Scancell, the University of Nottingham and Trent University, as previously announced in August 2020.


Scancell’s DNA vaccine will target the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein plus the key receptor binding domain of the spike (S) protein to generate both T cell responses and virus neutralising antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.


This new vaccine has the potential to provide long lasting immunity against COVID-19 by generating protection not only against this strain, but also against new strains of coronavirus that may arise in the future.


Dr Cliff Holloway, Chief Executive Offi cer, Scancell, commented: “Our collaboration with Cobra is critical to us moving forward with our novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine into the planned Phase 1 clinical trial, COVIDITY. Cobra has the expertise needed to produce clinical grade plasmid at scale and we look forward to working with them to advance our vaccine and demonstrate its potential effectiveness and protection against COVID-19.”


Peter Coleman, Chief Executive Offi cer, Cobra Biologics, added: “We are excited by this further collaboration with Scancell, with whom we share a long-standing relationship, to provide plasmid DNA for a promising new vaccine and its Phase 1 clinical trial. Our in-house expertise in quality assurance and production will ensure the delivery of GMP quality plasmid and we have great faith that Scancell’s DNA vaccine will show promise against SARS-CoV-2.”


53991pr@reply-direct.com Peter Coleman


Collaboration to advance Global Drug Discovery Infrastructure


Analysis Indicates Test has ability to Detect All Published Virus Strains


Clinical diagnostics specialist Novacyt has announced that following the detection of a new variant of COVID-19 by the UK’s COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium, known as VUI-202012/01, the Company has carried out a detailed analysis of the mutations in this new variant and in all published COVID-19 strains to fully assess the reliability of its existing diagnostic tests.


The results of the in silico (computer simulation) analysis of the sequenced mutations show that the Company’s polymerase chain reaction product portfolio, based around a single and a two gene target for COVID-19, remain able to detect all published COVID-19 strains with the same high level of accuracy, including VUI-202012/01.


The Company notes this new strain of the virus has also been identifi ed in other countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.


Graham Mullis, Chief Executive Offi cer of Novacyt, commented: “These data support the continued use of our tests, which remain accurate in detecting all published strains of COVID-19, including the latest variant. As part of our surveillance programme, we are committed to analysing our selected gene targets for COVID-19 against new published viral sequences to demonstrate ongoing accuracy and performance. We also remain in close contact with the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS as we continue to focus our efforts on deploying our tests to hospitals and laboratories across the UK, as well as to our customers around the world.”


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Matthew Segall


Drug discovery software developer Optibrium has announced a collaboration with US-based MSD which has adopted the Cambridge UK company’s StarDrop™ software as a central component of their cheminformatics infrastructure. The partnership will also include the joint development of new tools, to improve cycle times, effi ciency and productivity of the drug discovery process.


Dr Matthew Segall, Optibrium’s CEO, commented, “We are delighted to enter this collaboration to contribute to MSD’s world- leading cheminformatics infrastructure. We look forward to working together to advance new tools based around StarDrop to further refi ne our compound design platform.”


MSD is a tradename of Merck & Co Inc, Kenilworth NJ More information online: ilmt.co/PL/5qm6


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Large-Scale COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacture Deal Agreed


AstraZeneca AB has signed an agreement with Netherlands-based Halix BV for large-scale commercial drug substance manufacture of AZD1222, the adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine, co- invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company Vaccitech.


Under the agreement, Halix, one of the original partners in the University of Oxford’s consortium, will provide commercial manufacturing of drug substance at its cGMP facility at the Leiden Bio Science Park in the Netherlands, which has been expanded with two additional viral vector production lines.


Alex Huybens, Chief Operations Offi cer, stated, “Building on the solid foundations made with the University of Oxford, it’s our pleasure to expand our manufacturing support of AZD1222 with AstraZeneca. Through the consortium, the partners are bringing


their collective expertise and manufacturing capabilities to support vaccine production and combat this evolving crisis.”


Halix has an established track record for the development and GMP manufacture of viral vectors used in immuno-oncology and to vaccinate against infectious diseases, such as HIV, ZIKA, Chikungunya and the Infl uenza. Its 6,700 m2 BSL2 GMP facility at Leiden Bio Science Park, recently approved by the Dutch authorities, provides both clinical and commercial scale manufacturing capabilities in fully independent, self-contained Grade B and C cleanrooms for virus products. The company belongs to the family owned Droege Group AG.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/JO33 53899pr@reply-direct.com


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