Synergy Vaccines Reaches Milestone with SynerVax-HB Hepatitis Vaccine.(Brief Article)

2001 DEC 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study published in Vaccine is the first report of the successful use of an antigen that might enable development of simpler, less-expensive vaccines to prevent hepatitis B.

The research, led by Dr. George J. Cianciolo, associate research professor of pathology at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC), utilized the monomeric form of HBsAg (hepatitis B virus surface antigen), instead of virus-like particles, to generate high-titered antibodies in animals. The results show that HBsAg formulated in SynerVax adjuvant elicits antibodies in mice at extremely low concentrations. SynerVax adjuvant, Synergy Vaccines' proprietary vaccine adjuvant, is based on the plasma protein alpha2-Macroglobulin and was developed at DUMC by Dr. Salvatore V. Pizzo, chairman of the department of pathology, and Dr. Hanne Gron. The SynerVax adjuvant technology has been licensed by Duke University to Synergy, a privately held biotechnology company based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Importantly, the study also demonstrates that SynerVax-formulated HBsAg is stable under conditions that should allow its shipment and storage without refrigeration - conditions that often hamper the distribution of vaccines, such as those for hepatitis, in developing countries. The research reported in this study was ...