SINGAPORE, October 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ACM Biolabs announced today that its customer, Sanphar Asia Pte Ltd, an animal health company engaged in the development of modern vaccines, has successfully completed a second round of animal trials using ACM Biolabs' proprietary Artificial Cell Membrane ("ACM") technology. The first study[i] showed that both oral and injected formulations of ACM technology provided immunity against the porcine epidemic diarrhoea ("PED") virus[ii] in weaning pigs. This second set of trials showed that pregnant sows, which were given oral formulations of ACM technology, successfully transmitted immunity via their milk to their newly born piglets.
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"This result is very significant because the main problem for farmers is that PED is often fatal for piglets within the first one or two weeks of life. Therefore, there is not enough time to vaccinate the new-born piglets and elicit an endogenous immune response before the disease hits." explained Dr. Kai Grathwohl, Global Head R&D and Business Development, Sanphar Asia. He added: "Now with an oral vaccine which, given to pregnant sows, protects the new-born piglets through lactogenic immunity, we really do have the potential to make a truly effective product against PED, something which is desperately needed in the market."
Dr. Madhavan Nallani, CEO of ACM Biolabs, said "These results, and other similar successes we are currently seeing, are extremely exciting because they show the enormous potential of our technology as highly effective vaccines for both humans and animals. We are now focused on scaling up our technology, and look forward to continuing to work closely with Sanphar to bring a product to market as rapidly as possible."
About ACM Biolabs Pte Ltd
ACM Biolabs is a synthetic biology company using its proprietary Artificial Cell Membrane ("ACM") technology platform to allow its customers to develop diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines targeting novel membrane proteins. ACM technology is being used by the world's leading pharmaceutical companies to develop products requiring membrane proteins that are difficult or impossible to work with using traditional methods. ACM Biolabs has licensed technology from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore's lead public sector agency for science, research and development.
About SANPHAR Animal Health
Founded in 1992, SANPHAR Animal Health was acquired by the ERBER GROUP in July 2007. The ERBER GROUP is a globally known multinational company headquartered in Austria, with several patents and extensive investments in biotechnology and animal nutrition. SANPHAR has its roots in Brazil and Latin America and has set foot in Asia with establishing its Regional HQ in Singapore in 2011. SANPHAR Asia opened the SANPHAR Animal Health Research Center and diagnostic lab in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2015, and is planning to set up a research station in Thailand next. SANPHAR Asia's vision is to develop vaccines with high levels of protection for the herds of Asian farmers, based on the occurrence of local pathogens and strains.
Media Contact:
Peter Moran
ACM Biolabs Pte Ltd
peter.moran@ACMBiolabs.com
NOTES:
[i] The first round was announced in February 2016, see: http://www.acmbiolabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20160203-ACM-BIOLABS-Press-Release-PED-animal-trials.pdf
[ii] Virulent strains of PED cause high mortality of farmed pigs, notably in Asia, the United States of America and Canada. The virus is easily transmitted through contact and faecal-oral ingestion and new research has shown that it can be infective in feed and in airborne particles. With significant global trade in live pigs and feed, transmission of PED virus strains to new territories is an ongoing threat.
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