BruCells SA/NV, the Belgium based therapeutic vaccine cancer company, announces that it has entered into a material transfer and option agreement with Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) for an exclusive license on the cell line GEN, which can be used to generate plasmacytoid dendritic cells. The preliminary in vitro tests indicate that this cell line can also be used in the production of functional hybrid therapeutic vaccines, with potentially superior properties over products based on the more common myeloid DCs.
The Company is currently developing products for three indications, namely BCL003 against glioma, BCL004 against RCC and BCL005 against melanoma.
The principle of therapeutic vaccines is to trigger the immune system of cancer patients to recognize and destroy cancer cells by presenting tumour specific antigens. The products developed by BruCells combine the ability of dendritic cells to present antigens, with tumour cells as the sources of antigens. This is achieved by cellular fusion between dendritic and cancer cells, resulting in hybrids cells that are particularly potent in causing anti-cancer responses.
The dendritic cells and the cancer cells used in the production of BruCells therapeutic fusion vaccines are both obtained from sustainable cell lines and do not require the collection of biological material from the patients. This unique feature allows the production of vaccine dosage forms in advance and under reproducible pharmaceutical conditions. The response of the immune system to such fusion vaccines will be addressed through clinical trials.
About BruCells: BruCells SA is a Belgian company specializing in the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines using dendritic cells. During the first years of operation after incorporation in 2002 , the company has benefited from technology transfer and collaboration with Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) and has been supported by development grants from the Region of Brussels and from the European Commission. http://www.brucells.com
About EFS : Etablissement Français du Sang, is a French Public Establishment of Industrial and Commercial nature, having its registered office at 20, Avenue du Stade de France, 93218 La Plaine Saint-Denis Cedex, France. The main activity of EFS is blood transfusion and the treatment of hematologic diseases. EFS is the largest laboratory of medical and biological tests in France and the largest supplier of cellular therapy products in France. http://www.dondusang.net/
- Login to post comments