Omniose and AstraZeneca Forge Scientific Collaboration for Advancing Vaccines Against Serious Bacterial Diseases
6 January 2024
Omniose, a preclinical biotechnology company, has recently revealed an exclusive collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca to investigate potential vaccines for bacterial pathogens in AstraZeneca's early Vaccines & Immune Therapies pipeline.
According to the agreement, AstraZeneca will hold exclusive rights to Omniose's unique bioconjugation platform for up to three years. This platform enables the development of high-quality vaccines against various bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant "superbugs" that were previously challenging to address through other methods.
Conjugate vaccines, known for their effectiveness, have faced limitations due to the complex chemical process involved in attaching bacterial polysaccharides to engineered carrier proteins. Omniose's bioconjugation platform streamlines the manufacturing process compared to traditional chemical conjugation, potentially resulting in higher-quality vaccines.
Christian Harding, CSO & Co-founder of Omniose, emphasized the versatility of their synthetic biology platform, stating, "Our broad enzyme-based bioconjugation system enables the transfer of virtually any bacterial polysaccharide to engineered carrier proteins."
Mark Esser, Vice President of Early R&D Vaccines & Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "As serious bacterial infections become increasingly resistant to commonly-used antibiotics, the development of alternative preventative interventions is critical." He added that AstraZeneca is excited to explore the potential of Omniose's bioconjugate platform in developing vaccines for bacterial pathogens as part of their commitment to providing long-lasting immunity.
Timothy Cooke, CEO of Omniose, expressed pride in collaborating with AstraZeneca, noting the company's expertise in leveraging next-generation technology for infectious disease research. Cooke stated, "We are proud to collaborate with them to realize the full potential of our conjugate vaccine platform."
Source: businesswire.com