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Mumbai based Epygen Biotech has recently entered into a non-exclusive technology usage agreement with US based Dyadic International, Inc. for COVID-19 vaccine development.
Dyadic has developed a COVID-19 vaccine antigen from its proprietary and patented C1 cell line that can be produced at three grams per liter (3 g/l) in only five days.
The proprietary C1 expressed receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is being used in animal trials by seven different research groups, governmental agencies and biopharma companies (including the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) and a collaboration of European Union scientists that participated with Dyadic in the ZAPI program).
These parties are testing the C1 expressed RBD vaccine candidate(s) in animal trials on a stand-alone basis as well as testing the C1 RBD with nanoparticles and adjuvants. The company currently expects up to ten animal trials to be completed by the end of 2020.
Epygen Biotech after obtaining required funding, is expected to produce cGMP clinical trial material at their facility and conduct clinical trials in India using Dyadic's C1 expressed RBD antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein.
"The Epygen agreement demonstrates how potential collaborators globally can develop and eventually manufacture vaccines and drugs on a regional basis that are affordable, safe and effective. Debayan Ghosh, President and Founder of Epygen, is intimately familiar with our technology from his work at Biocon as a biotechnologist, his time spent working for Dyadic in the late 90's and, most recently, as a result of Epygen's interest in the manufacturing of cGMP clinical grade C1 expressed RBD antigens. It is especially gratifying for us to be working with someone who understands, firsthand, C1's success in industrial biotech and appreciates how the technology can be broadly applied to biopharmaceuticals," said Dyadic CEO, Mark Emalfarb.
