NEWARK, DE -- (Marketwired) -- 10/22/14 -- iBio, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IBIO), a
leading provider of plant-based biotechnology for developing and manufacturing
biological products, and Novici Biotech LLC (Novici) have agreed to broaden
their commercial collaboration, currently focused on antibodies and certain
vaccine products, to include iBio's proprietary IBIO-CFB03 product for
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, systemic sclerosis and other fibrotic diseases.
This expanded program will combine the strength of the iBioLaunch(TM) platform
with Novici's patented GRAMMR(R) technology for rapid evolution of gene
sequences to significantly increase expression yield of target proteins.
IBIO-CFB03 and related proteins have been produced in plants on the
iBioLaunch platform substantially more quickly and cost-effectively than has
been possible with traditional methods. By combining the strengths of the
iBioLaunch platform with Novici's GRAMMR technology, iBio expects to drive
production efficiency even further as the fibrosis team initiates expanded
animal testing and additional IND-enabling tasks.
In April 2013, iBio announced the achievement of a technology transfer
milestone when Novici was able to use the iBioLaunch system in a challenge
study, without any involvement of iBio, to reliably replicate production of
commercial yields of targeted biotherapeutics and vaccines. An additional
benchmark was achieved in a second live-fire study in May 2013 when Novici used
iBioLaunch technology to produce a recombinant vaccine candidate for H7N9
influenza within 21 days of receiving initial antigen sequence information from
iBio. Subsequently, the two companies have worked together on iBio-proprietary
and third party antibody product candidates addressing both chronic therapy and
acute infectious disease treatment.
Novici has previously applied GRAMMR technology successfully for gene and
protein optimization to rapidly increase the expression yields of certain target
products without alteration of the structure and function of the proteins
themselves. By increasing the efficiency with which a desired product can be
manufactured, without changing the characteristic of the product or established
downstream purification processes, manufacturing capacity of existing facilities
can be increased when needed to address pandemic or bioterrorism threats or
other urgent needs without the costs and time required to enlarge existing or
build additional facilities.
About Novici Biotech, LLC
Novici is a private biotechnology company offering proprietary synthetic
biology tools and directed evolution capabilities to advance the product-focused
goals of clients in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial fields.
Novici's patented GRAMMR(R) technology for high-resolution genetic reassortment
enhances gene functionality at both the nucleotide and protein level. Novici is
focused on bringing to market its unique synthetic biology technologies,
including the means to empirically optimize the codon usage structure of any
gene to endow it with optimal expression yield, protein folding integrity, and
cell type compatibility, and to optimize protein structure and function for
commercial use. For more information, please visit the company's website:
www.novicibiotech.com.
About iBio, Inc.
iBio owns the iBioLaunch(TM) platform, which is a proprietary,
transformative technology for development and production of biologics using
transient gene expression in unmodified green plants. iBio is developing a
proprietary product for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, systemic
sclerosis, and other fibrotic diseases using its iBioLaunch platform. The
company also offers technology licenses to others and provides collaborators
full support for turn-key implementation of its technology for protein
therapeutics and vaccines. In Brazil, iBio has been collaborating with Oswaldo
Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) since 2011 to develop a recombinant yellow fever
vaccine based upon iBio technology. Further information is available at:
www.ibioinc.com.
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