强生携手IchorFounder共同推动乙肝DNA疫苗开发

2015年4月14日讯/生物谷BIOON/--随着吉利德公司的丙肝药物Sovaldi横空出世，让丙肝治疗领域受到了一次前所未有的洗礼。各大生物医药巨头纷纷跟风进入，投入巨资希望在这一领域分得一杯羹。而最近，强生公司则开始将目光放到了另外一种极为普遍的肝病--乙肝的治疗中。
最近，强生公司旗下杨森公司和圣迭戈的生物医药器械公司IchorMedicalSystems达成了一项合作协议，共同开发用于治疗乙肝的DNA疫苗。根据协议，扬森公司将向IchorMedicalSystems公司支付包括预付款、研发款等资助在内共计8500万美元的费用，IchorMedicalSystems公司则授权扬森公司使用其独有的TriGrid电转系统。
近几年来，DNA疫苗的研究经历了大起大落，其中一个重要原因在于研究人员没有找到一个有效的方法输送DNA。传统方法一般是使用重组减毒的细菌或病毒作为载体输送DNA，一方面可能会导致较大的安全隐患，另一方面是这些方法并不能达到令人满意的DNA转运效率。而TriGrid电转系统是通过利用一种小型医疗器械产生的电脉冲打开待输送组织部位的细胞膜，并直接将DNA输送进入细胞内部，可谓"简单粗暴"。现有数据显示这种方法输送DNA效率比传统方法高出了近1000倍。
事实上，强生公司并不是第一个"觊觎"TriGrid的医药巨头。早在2014年2月，辉瑞公司就重金获得了这项技术用于其肿瘤疫苗的研发。
目前，全世界约有2亿4千万人携带有乙肝病毒，其中绝大部分携带者分布在亚洲和非洲等地区。与丙肝类似，乙肝病情严重时会导致肝硬化甚至肝癌的发生。可以说，防治乙肝已经成为了发展中国家重要的健康任务之一。
详细英文报道：
JanssenPharmaceuticalshaspairedupwithIchorMedicalSystemstodevelopandmarketDNA-basedvaccineproductstotreatchronichepatitisB(HBV).ThepartnerswillusethestartupsTriGridelectroporationtechnologyforclinicaladministrationofaDNAvaccine.
Ichorwillgetabout$85millioninacombinationofupfrontpayment,R&Dsupport,anddevelopmentandsalesmilestonepayments;italsostandstoreceiveundisclosedroyaltypaymentsonanyfuturelicensedproductsales.Janssen,aJohnson&Johnson($JNJ)company,isresponsibleforcertaindevicedevelopmentcosts,aswellascommercializationcostsincludingmanufacturinganddistribution.
TheideaistodeliveraDNAvaccinethatwillgenerateabroadimmuneresponseandmoreeffectivelytreatHBV;currenttreatmentsarentparticularlyusefulineliminatingthevirusandcanbeassociatedwithsevereadversereactions.Morethan240millionpeoplegloballyareinfectedwithHBV,mostofwhomareinAsiaorAfrica.Chronicinfectionwiththediseaseisassociatedwithhigherratesofcirrhosisandlivercancer.
"JanssensdecisiontocoupleourclinicallyvalidatedTriGridelectroporationtechnologywiththeirDNAvaccineforHBVisextraordinarilyexcitingforIchor,"IchorFounderandCEORobertBernardsaidinastatement.
Theindustryhasbeenincrediblyeffectiveatdeliveringeffective,convenient--andquitelucrative--treatmentsforhepatitisC(HCV)inrecentyearsandsomearespeculatingthatasimilarmassiverevampofHBVtreatmentoptionsalsocouldbeintheoffering.
ResearchonDNAvaccineshasbeenaroundforawhile,butthetechnologyhasstruggledtodeliversufficientefficacyinclinicaltrialswhenadministeredviaaconventionalinjection.Ichorshand-helddeviceprovideselectroporation-mediatedDNAadministration.Thisusesshortelectricalpulsestotemporarilyaltercellmembranes,therebyfacilitatingtheentryofaDNAvaccineintocells.
ThecompanysaysitsTriGridDeliverySystemisupto1,000timesmoreeffectiveascomparedtoconventionalinjectionofDNAdrugs.UnlikeDNAvaccinesthatrelyontheincorporationofspecific,isolatedgenes,conventionalvaccinesuseanentire,inactivatedmicrobe,oronewithreducedvirulence,toinoculatethepatient.
InFebruary2014,IchorenteredintoasimilaragreementwithPfizer($PFE)todevelopanext-genTriGridelectroporationdeviceforusewiththepharmaspreclinicalcancervaccine-basedimmunotherapies.Thefinancialdetailsofthatdealwereundisclosed.
MorerecentlyinNovember,theSanDiego-basedcompanygota5-yearcontractworthupto$20.2millionthroughtheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA)andsupportedbytheU.S.ArmyResearchOffice.Itincludesan$8.6millionbaseawardandfollow-onoptionyears.TheprojectaimstofundthedevelopmentandclinicalassessmentofTriGridtodeliverantibodiesforpassiveimmunoprophylaxis.Theideaistousethetechnologytoproviderapidprotectionintheeventofaninfectionoutbreakorbiologicalweaponsattack.
Ichorwasfoundedin1994andhasgainedmorethan$30millionincommittedgrantorcontractfinancing.Itsalsoraisedequityfinancingfromundisclosedprivateandinstitutionalinvestors.

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