Genencor International Inc has formed a two-year extendable collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHU) for the research of therapeutic vaccines and other immunotherapies targeting cancers and oncogenic viruses.

Genencor has also received a worldwide exclusive license to proprietary technologies related to antigen targeting and dendritic cell activation including co-stimulatory genes. This collaboration solidifies the foundation of a pre-eminent therapeutic vaccine platform at Genencor.

Genencor will work closely with and support on-going research in the laboratories of Drs. Drew Pardoll and T.C. Wu. (Biographies below.) Drs. Pardoll and Wu have conducted extensive pre-clinical animal studies on a number of advanced molecular vaccine constructs that have caused tumor regression and extended survival. Genencor is hopeful that this technology will prove effective in humans.

Thus far, therapeutic vaccines in development have failed to elicit an immune response strong enough to eliminate the target virus. Through a series of strategic collaborations, Genencor has developed a novel platform for therapeutic vaccine development that it believes will overcome this problem. Last summer, the company announced two key collaborations--the first with Epimmune to develop therapeutic vaccines for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human papilloma virus (HPV); the second with Phogen for its VP22 gene technology for the same viruses.

By combining Epimmune's novel patented epitopes, Phogen's antigen spreading technology and the immunological enhancement techniques derived from the Pardoll/Wu labs with Genencor's own transgenic and epitope discovery expertise, the company has assembled the resources required to deliver near-term vaccine targets and ultimately anti-cancer immunotherapeutics. Through the combination of these organizations' expertise, Genencor believes it can develop products with co-stimulatory factors that will elicit a cytotoxic T lymphocyte response capable of clearing the body of oncogenic virus. The company is initially focusing on HBV, HCV and HPV.

The collaboration with JHU will initially focus on the identification of viral targets from which to develop novel therapeutic vaccines capable of clearing oncogenic viruses. Additionally, JHU will identify new tumor specific antigens by employing a novel comparative biology approach. Vaccine constructs will be tested in pre-clinical models, including Genencor's proprietary transgenic mice and optimized lead candidates will move into the clinic.

Under the terms of the agreement, Johns Hopkins University will receive a license fee, minimum annual royalties for 10 years and royalties on future product sales. Genencor will also fund research during the term of the agreement, contingent in part on successful achievement of mutually agreed technical program milestones. Genencor receives exclusive commercialization rights to any products developed through this agreement.