PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 17, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Advaxis, Inc., a developer of cancer vaccines, today announced an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA ("GSK") relating to certain rights in the area of Listeriolysin O protein ("LLO").
LLO is an essential haemolytic virulence factor that allows the bacteria L. monocytogenes to escape from the host cell vacuole and reach the host cell cytosol. Bacteria that are unable to produce LLO remain trapped in the host vacuole and are several orders of magnitude less virulent than wild type bacteria in vivo. Research done in the laboratory of Yvonne Paterson PhD, scientific founder of Advaxis, in collaboration with GSK, has shown that a non-haemolytic truncated form of LLO when fused to an antigen enhances immunogenicity. The joint invention has been patented.
J Todd Derbin, Chief Executive Officer of Advaxis, said: "This agreement is the result of a successful collaboration between Yvonne Paterson's laboratory and GSK in the area of cancer vaccines. We look forward to developing this relationship and furthering additional long term collaboration opportunities with GSK ".
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Biologicals), the world's leading vaccine manufacturer, is located in Rixensart, Belgium. In 2002, an average of 25 GSK Biologicals vaccine doses per second were delivered to 156 countries in both the industrialized and developing world. For information, visit GSK Biologicals' vaccines website site at www.gsk-bio.com. GlaxoSmithKline -- one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies -- is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
Advaxis, Inc., based in Princeton, New Jersey, is a biotechnology company focused on commercializing the innovative vaccine technology developed by Dr Yvonne Paterson in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania. The company is developing products that enhance the immune system's cancer-fighting abilities. Advaxis is utilizing two immunological mechanisms (Innate and Classical Immunity) to develop safer and more effective cancer vaccines. The Company is the exclusive licensee of a broadly enabling innate immunity platform technology that, when combined with classical antibody and cellular immune mechanisms, can elicit more effective anti-tumor responses. The innate immunity platform will also have applications in the fields of infectious disease and autoimmune disorders. Advaxis' initial disease focus is in cervical, head and neck, breast, ovarian and lung cancers.