Reach - a non-regulatory announcement

AIM: FIPP

02 December 2022

Frontier IP Group Plc

("Frontier IP" or the "Group")

Portfolio news - The Vaccine Group successfully completes Anglo-Chinese Streptococcus suis vaccine project

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, is delighted to note the following announcement that portfolio company The Vaccine Group ("TVG" or the "Company") successfully completed an Anglo-Chinese project to develop a vaccine against the most common types of Streptococcus suis (S suis).

S suis is a bacterial disease that reduces pig farming productivity. It is endemic in the global pig population, estimated at 780 million strong, and, according to the Pork Information Gateway, is the most common cause of systemic disease in nursery piglets. It is also zoonotic and can jump from pigs to humans causing meningitis, septicaemia and other symptoms.  

The disease is currently treated with antibiotics, but there is growing evidence the disease is becoming resistant. Effective vaccines remove the need for antibiotics. Frontier IP holds a 17 per cent equity stake in the Company.

TVG developed nine vaccine constructs, two of which have been screened, and one of those has demonstrated more than 75 per cent efficacy in rabbits.

The project was a collaboration with two Chinese academic institutions and a commercial partner, the Pulike Biological Engineering Company. Pulike has begun preparation to make the vaccine candidate at pilot scale to support further clinical development.

TVG has funding in place to screen the seven remaining vaccine constructs. TVG received a £403,000 grant as part of total £1.46 million provided by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) through Innovate UK, and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.

Neil Crabb, Frontier IP Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are very pleased with the progress  made by TVG and its herpesvirus-based vaccine technology - this project shows it has the potential to combat bacteria as well as viruses. We are looking forward to results of further developments of the Company's other animal vaccine projects for Lassa fever, African Swine Fever, and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, and a COVID-19 vaccine for use in humans."

The Vaccine Group statement begins:

TVG successfully completes Anglo-Chinese Streptococcus suis vaccine project

TVG has completed a successful Anglo-Chinese project backed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Innovate UK, and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology to develop a cross-protective candidate Streptococcus suis (S suis) vaccine against the most prevalent serotypes 2, 7 and 9.

S suis is a major bacterial disease that reduces productivity in pig farming worldwide. There is currently no effective preventative vaccine. It is also zoonotic and can cause meningitis, septicaemia and other symptoms in humans. The disease is currently treated with antibiotics, but there is growing evidence that it is becoming resistant. Effective vaccines remove the need for antibiotics.

The project started in April 2019 with the twin objectives of developing a candidate vaccine for S suis in domesticated pigs and to further develop the TVG platform viral vaccine vector technology. In total, nine candidate vaccine constructs were made, targeting immunogenic proteins that are highly conserved across key serotypes.

All nine have been shown to be stable in tissue culture, grow to commercially viable titres and express the selected target proteins at high levels. Two candidates have been screened in a laboratory rabbit challenge model of S suis, one of the candidates demonstrating >75% efficacy and strong serological responses.

The project was conducted in collaboration with two Chinese academic laboratories, the Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, and the Shanghai Jio Tong University. A major producer of swine and poultry vaccines, the Pulike Biological Engineering Company was the commercial partner. Pulike has already transferred production of the candidate vaccine to suspension cell culture at pilot scale in preparation for vaccine batch production for clinical development.

The three Chinese partners are funded to complete screening of the other seven S suis vaccine candidates before the end of 2022, with the lead candidates passing into controlled challenge studies in pigs in early 2023. It is expected that widespread global uptake of a successfully developed broad-spectrum S suis vaccine would lead to the reduction of antibiotic use in commercial pig farming and contribute to a reduced risk of Anti-Microbial Resistance development.

TVG received a £403,000 grant as its share of the project funding. It was awarded as part of a bilateral research competition between the DHSC's Global antimicrobial resistance Innovation Fund and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. UK-China partnerships against antimicrobial resistance get funding

Phil Packer, Innovation Lead, Innovate UK, said: "The Vaccine Group (TVG), a biotech start up company based in Plymouth, and the University of Plymouth (UoP) have recently completed an IUK-funded project to develop a Streptococcus suis vaccine candidate for use in commercial pig herds. The project was conducted in collaboration with three Chinese partner organisations who were funded through the Chinese Ministry of Science & Technology. The successful output from the project is a lead candidate vaccine which has been shown to induce protection in a rabbit model of the disease. Further committed funding will test the candidate for safety and efficacy in pigs in early 2023. The commercial partner in China is currently scaling up production of the candidate vaccine with a view to beginning registration studies later in 2023. IUK would like to congratulate TVG and UoP on the successful completion of this project and the establishment of a highly productive working relationship with the three Chinese partner organisations."

Jeremy Salt, TVG Chief Executive Officer, said: "Great strides have been made towards providing a vaccine solution for a significant pig disease during this project. The flexibility of TVG's bovine herpesvirus technology platform has been fully utilised to deliver enhanced efficacy."

The Vaccine Group statement ends

ENQUIRIES

ABOUT THE VACCINE GROUP

The Vaccine Group, a spin out from the University of Plymouth, is developing vaccines based on benign forms of herpesviruses. These are a group of viruses found in all animals, including humans.

The Company is targeting two main areas: zoonotic diseases, which jump from animals to humans, and economically damaging diseases in livestock. The COVID-19 vaccine is the first of the company's vaccines being developed for humans.

The Company and its international partners have so far been backed by more than £9 million in grant funding from the US, UK and Chinese governments. The US government is funding development of Ebola and Lassa fever virus vaccines. The company has also signed its first commercial agreement to develop vaccines for Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Virus Syndrome with ECO Animal Health Group plc.

Other projects underway include developing a vaccine against Streptococcus suis, a disease in pigs which can be fatal in humans and can only currently be treated with large doses of antibiotics.

For more information: www.thevaccinegroup.com

ABOUT FRONTIER IP

Frontier IP unites science and commerce by identifying strong intellectual property and accelerating its development through a range of commercialisation services. A critical part of the Group's work is involving relevant industry partners at an early stage of development to ensure technology meets real world demands and needs.

The Group looks to build and grow a portfolio of equity stakes and licence income by taking an active involvement in spin-out companies, including support for fund raising and collaboration with relevant industry partners at an early stage of development.

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