MyeloXenTM
Liposomal Multiple Sclerosis vaccine
MyeloXen™ is a liposomal vaccine being developed in collaboration with Pharmsynthez for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease of the central nervous system accompanied by various neurologic symptoms. The disease usually occurs in young and middle age people under the influence of a series of internal and external factors. Multiple sclerosis progresses through initial difficulties in moving through to full paralysis, sensory loss as well as loss of control over neuropsychological processes. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from Multiple sclerosis. Therefore it is extremely important to develop novel that drug products that are superior to current treatments.
To enable this, Pharmsynthez and Xenetic have used up-to-date knowledge in the field of MS pathogenesis as well as modern immunology and nanotechnologies. The result has been the creation of “Myeloxen”, a peptide vaccine using Xenetic's liposomal entrapment technology. The active ingredient of MyeloXen is a number of peptides homologous to immunogenic sites of the myelin basic protein. Pre-clinical studies have shown that treatment with this preparation is more effective than with the current gold standard treatment - Copaxone. These studies also demonstrated that Myeloxen has no toxic, anaphylactogenic, allergic, immunotoxic, teratogenic or mutagenic properties and doesn’t adversely affect reproductive function. Phase I clinical trials of "Myeloxen" preparation are scheduled to begin in 2011.
Influenza vaccine candidate
Liposomal influenza vaccine
There is a genuine need for improved vaccines against influenza, both in the methods of manufacture and in the mechanisms of action.
Xenetic's pandemic influenza vaccine candidate is based on our proprietary liposomal co-delivery technology and is not reliant on the classical egg-based methods of manufacture, which are time consuming and expensive . Our preclinical data has demonstrated that a single dose of vaccine can induce protective immunity using less antigen than is found in conventional flu vaccines.
Further clinical development of this product candidate is planned to address the need for new vaccines entering the multi-billion dollar influenza market
HepaXenTM
Liposomal Hepatitis B vaccine
HepaXen™ is a liposomal hepatitis B vaccine candidate from Xenetic and is based on our proprietary co-delivery technology. The vaccine comprises recombinant Hepatitis B surface antigen and a plasmid DNA encoding the same protein entrapped together in the same liposome. This candidate is currently being developed as a prophylactic (preventative) vaccine against hepatitis B but it will subsequently be developed as a therapeutic vaccine to treat patients infected with the hepatitis B virus. There is currently no licensed therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of patients with hepatitis B and this makes HepaXen™ a potentially ground-breaking product candidate for Xenetic.
How does HepaXen™ work as a prophylactic vaccine?
In preclinical studies of HepaXen™ as a prophylactic vaccine against hepatitis B, the antibody response generated was 20 times greater than that of a leading commercial prophylactic vaccine. This suggests that HepaXen™ may allow a reduction in the number of doses required from three down to a single dose. It also has the potential to be effective in the current ‘non-responder’ population a phenomenon whereby approximately 10% of all recipients fail to respond to vaccination.
Xenetic believes that a safe, single dose vaccine would supplant all existing hepatitis B vaccines and capture the majority share of the hepatitis B vaccine market.
How does HepaXen™ have the potential to be developed as a therapeutic vaccine?
The DNA component of the HepaXen™ liposomal vaccine generates cell-mediated immunity. This will allow HepaXen™ to be developed as a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of patients infected with hepatitis B.
Why is HepaXen™ a strategically significant product for Xenetic?
Xenetic’s HepaXen™ liposomal vaccine has the strategic value of paving the regulatory path for other co-delivery vaccine products, including future therapeutic products against hepatitis A, C and E, as well as other prophylactic vaccines.
What is the size of the potential market for hepatitis B vaccines?
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes about four million infections each year worldwide. There are over 350 million chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus in the world and 25% of these are expected to die from cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma within five to 25 years. The market for existing prophylactic vaccines against hepatitis B is estimated to be worth $800 million. For an immunotherapeutic hepatitis B vaccine, the market would comprise some 90 million people, representing a $600 million market.
LipoNeu™
Liposomal pneumococcal vaccine
LipoNeu™is a new pneumococcal vaccine product candidate from Xenetic. This performance-enhanced liposomal vaccine has been developed to offer immune protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae is a cause of meningitis and other serious infections in infants and children. It also infects adults and causes pneumonia, which is often fatal in the elderly.
How could LipoNeu™ improve on existing pneumococcal vaccines?
LipoNeu™ uses Xenetic’s proprietary liposomal co-delivery platform to co-entrap specific polysaccharides and carrier proteins within discrete populations of liposomes. LipoNeu™ will immunise individuals against 14 S. pneumoniae strains as a single multivalent vaccine. It is expected to exhibit the superior performance characteristics associated with Xenetic’s co-delivery liposomal vaccines but with wider strain coverage than current pneumococcal vaccines and without the need for complex conjugation chemistry.
