28 June 2019 - - UK-based biotechnology company Emergex Vaccines Holding Ltd has signed an R and D agreement with the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore to develop a fully synthetic vaccine against human viruses that cause Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, the company said.
Emergex and IMCB will collaborate closely to develop the new vaccine, combining their personnel, specialist knowledge and expertise.
IMCB is a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore's lead government agency spearheading mission-oriented research to advance scientific discovery and develop innovative technology.
A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry and, through collaboration, brings science and technology to benefit the economy and society.
The research collaboration is led by Associate Professor Justin Chu, Joint Principal Investigator at IMCB, whose research interests are in positive-strand RNA viruses and vaccine development.
As part of the agreement, Emergex will use its technological expertise to help develop a cross reactive vaccine against the most common enteroviruses known to cause HFMD, including coxsackieviruses and enterovirus 71 which will be tested in murine models at IMCB.
HFMD is most common in children under the age of 5.
It starts with a fever, sore throat and reduced appetite and leads to painful sores on the hands, feet, and in the mouth. While it usually resolves spontaneously, infection with some enteroviruses such as EV71 can induce diverse neurological complications including brainstem encephalitis.
This can cause neurogenic pulmonary hemorrhage/edema and lead to death.
Several large outbreaks of HFMD caused by EV71 have occurred in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. In 1998, a major epidemic of EV71 in Taiwan caused 1.5m infections, 405 with severe neurological complications, and 78 child deaths.
More than 7m HFMD cases and 2,457 deaths were reported in China during EV71 epidemics between 2008 and 2012.
Recently, EV71 epidemics have been reported in the USA and Europe including the Netherlands, France, Norway, the UK, Hungary, and Greece.
Emergex Vaccines Holding, a UK-based biotechnology company headquartered in Oxford, is pioneering a new approach to vaccine development in order to address some of the world's most immediate health threats including Flaviviruses, such as Dengue Fever and Zika, as well as Filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg viruses, and seasonal and pandemic influenza.
The company has developed a novel approach to vaccine manufacturing.
It utilises 100% synthetic components that have been validated in previous research, to activate T-cells of the immune system to destroy infected human cells. It uses unique technologies, together with scientific insights to develop and manufacture vaccines at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional vaccines.
These are administered using a skin patch technology which is practical to administer and suited for regions that are infrastructurally-challenged as well as for more advanced regions of the world.
Emergex is initially focussed on creating an internationally accessible, clinical grade vaccine repository for use by governments, non-governmental organisations and charities, to act as a first line of defence against existing and newly emerging infectious outbreaks.