SIRION Biotech’s new vaccination candidate successful in Ad5 pre-immunization in-vivo study

Martinsried, Germany: – Viral technology specialist SIRION Biotech’s latest adenovirus serotype Ad19a/64 has passed a further significant milestone in its validation process as a novel vaccination candidate.

New in vivo results in mice, recorded in a laboratory study conducted by world-renowned researcher Prof. Peter Holst of the University of Copenhagen, have clearly shown that this new serotype elicits comparable immune reactions against a given antigen as effective as Ad5, even in animals that were pre-immunized against the Ad5 serotype.

Adenovirus vectors

“The study underlined the importance of Ad19a/64 development into a vaccination vehicle to solve the problem of pre-immunized populations,” commented SIRION Biotech CEO Dr. Christian Thirion.

“We already knew that pre-immunisation rates against our novel Ad19a/64 are very low in human populations, an important trait for a future vaccination candidate.” he explained.

“But we were not sure whether pre-acquired immunity against the common Ad5 might generate a cross-reaction. This study seems to have removed that uncertainty,” said Dr. Thirion.

HPV clinical testing

As a next step, SIRION Biotech will now enter first pre-clinical testing of the Ad19a/64 vector system in non-human primates to cure human papillomavirus (HPV).

Adenovirus vectors enable the direct introduction of genetic antigen information into patients instead of inoculating them with inactivated pathogen. This method of direct antigen presentation is thought to hold the solution for a number of diseases currently unanswered by standard vaccination methods.

Ad19a/64 has been considered highly promising in this context because it transduces human myoblasts and dendritic cells better than any other serotype.

About SIRION Biotech

Founded at Martinsried, near Munich, in 2007, SIRION BIOTECH has become Europe’s leading commercial supplier of viral vectors used for genetic research, clinical target validation, gene therapy and vaccination studies.

From the beginning, SIRION’s mission has been to change the paradigm for viral vector supplies, with ability to develop and supply all common viral vector types (adenovirus, lentivirus, AAV, etc.) within a matter of weeks at the concentration titers and quantities needed for preclinical human and animal testing.

The company also offers a full range of virus related services, ranging from particle production to virus driven cell modeling.

SIRION offerings include the transformational RNAiONE™ knockdown validation platform.

SIRION’s core expertise lies in custom virus generation for genetic engineering of mammalian cell systems. With its comprehensive viral vector portfolio, SIRION offers a suitable option for almost any in vitro and in vivo application. SIRION can supply all three of the most commonly used virus systems for gene manipulation: recombinant adenovirus particles (AVs), lentiviruses and adeno-associated viruses (AAVs).