10 January 2018 - - Halifax, Nova Scotia-based anti-infective drug development company Appili Therapeutics Inc. has signed a license agreement with the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada to develop ATI-1701, a vaccine to protect against Francisella tularensis, a potential bioterrorism agent that causes tularemia, the company said.
The license agreement with the NRC grants Appili exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize this tularemia vaccine.
ATI-1701 is based on research led by Dr. Wayne Conlan at the NRC. Conlan's team used genetic engineering to disable a previously virulent strain of F. tularensis and develop a live attenuated vaccine. Their research showed the genetically modified bacterium induced a strong immune response that triggers a protective immune response to F. tularensis.
Some of the development work for the vaccine is being funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, part of the US Department of Defense, which recently announced a USD6.2 m, 5-year program to develop a tularemia vaccine.
Appili will conduct the preclinical and clinical testing required by the FDA to evaluate the safety of the ATI-1701 vaccine and to ensure it offers the desired protection against the bacteria for humans.
Appili is dedicated to identifying, acquiring, and advancing novel therapeutics for infectious disease.
Its pipeline includes three anti-infective programs: ATI-1501, a novel taste-masking technology applied in an oral suspension for the treatment for anaerobic infections, ATI-1503, a novel antibiotic targeting drug-resistant Gram-negative infections, and ATI-1701, a vaccine reducing the threat of tularemia bioterrorism.