Full Press Release Details
iBio Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Collaboration
to Include the Infectious Disease Research Institute
- The Nonprofit Will Help Lead Pre-Clinical
Development and Clinical Trial Oversight -
NEW YORK / April 9, 2020 / (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
/ iBio, Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN:IBIO) ("iBio" or the "Company"), a biologics contract manufacturing organization
and biotechnology innovator, today announced the signing of two Master Services Agreements (the MSAs") and a Memorandum of
Understanding (the "MoU") with the Infectious Disease Research Institute ("IDRI") in support of iBio's
SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like Particle ("VLP") vaccine development.
Under the MSAs, IDRI will support pre-clinical
development and provide clinical trial oversight, while iBio will provide process development and manufacturing services to IDRI,
as needed. Additionally, the MoU calls for iBio and IDRI to establish a separate, additional agreement within the next 60 days
if the Company opts to include one of IDRI's novel adjuvants in the COVID-19 vaccine development program ("IBIO-200").
The MSAs and the MoU integrate IDRI into iBio's collaboration with the Texas A&M University System to create a strong
partnership that brings deep experience and advanced technologies and capabilities to the task of moving IBIO-200 into the clinic.
"We are delighted to have IDRI contribute
its deep understanding of infectious diseases and vaccine development expertise to the team," said Tom Isett, Co-Chairman
& Chief Executive Officer of iBio. "We are also looking forward to evaluating the novel adjuvants in IDRI's portfolio
that may deliver even greater immunostimulatory effects. A more potent antigen-adjuvant combination would further increase our
projected manufacturing capacity for production of a vaccine for COVID-19 disease."
"We are excited to be a partner in
the development of IBIO-200," said Corey Casper, M.D., MPH, Chief Executive Officer of the IDRI and Clinical Professor of
Medicine and Global Health at the University of Washington. "Combining iBio's VLP antigen with an IDRI adjuvant provides
for promising safety and efficacy characteristics, and importantly, the ready ability to scale-up manufacturing to help meet the
projected global demand for a suitable vaccine."
iBio is a global leader in plant-based
biologics manufacturing. Its FastPharming System combines vertical farming, automated hydroponics, and glycan
engineering technologies to rapidly deliver gram quantities of high-quality monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, bioinks and other
proteins. The Company's subsidiary, iBio CDMO LLC, provides FastPharming Contract Development and Manufacturing
Services via its 130,000 square foot facility in Bryan, Texas. Originally built in 2010 with funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA), iBio's FastPharming Facility was part of the "Blue Angel" initiative
to establish factories capable of rapid delivery of medical countermeasures in response to a disease pandemic. iBio's FastGlycaneering
Development Service includes an array of new glycosylation technologies for engineering high-performance recombinant proteins.
Additionally, iBio is developing proprietary products which include IBIO-100 for the treatment of fibrotic diseases and IBIO-200,
a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, visit www.ibioinc.com.
About the Infectious Disease
As a nonprofit global health organization, IDRI (Infectious Disease Research Institute) takes a comprehensive approach to combat
infectious diseases, combining the high-quality science of a research organization with the product development capabilities of
a biotech company to create vaccines and therapeutics. IDRI combines passion for improving human health with the understanding
that it is not just what our scientists know about disease, but what we do to change its course that will have the greatest impact.
Founded in 1993, IDRI has 55 employees headquartered in Seattle with more than 100 partners/collaborators around the world. For
more information, visit www.idri.org.
About The Texas A&M University
TAMUS is one of the largest systems of
higher education in the nation with a budget of $6.3 billion. The System is a statewide network of 11 universities; a comprehensive
health science center; eight state agencies, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management; and the RELLIS Campus. The Texas
A&M System educates more than 151,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service
and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $1 billion in FY 2019 and helped drive
the state's economy.
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