BravoVax Signed Exclusive License Agreement with Prestigious U.S. University on Broad Spectrum HPV V

BravoVax Co., Ltd (BravoVax) recently signed exclusive license agreement with one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S. and obtained the exclusive patent license, product development and marketing rights of a new broad spectrum human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine technology.

HPV is the major pathogen of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, oral and throat cancers. It may also cause genital warts and laryngeal papilloma. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, with about 528,000 new cases and 26,000 deaths every year. Up to now more than 170 serotypes of HPV are found, of which at least 15 are recognized as being carcinogenic. Nowadays a number of HPV vaccines based on virus-like particle (VLP) technology have been launched and the global market has exceeded 2 billion U.S. dollars. However, all of these vaccines were developed based on the HPV capsid protein L1, which is serotype-specific and has no significant cross-protection against other HPV serotypes which are not covered by the vaccine. In order to achieve a higher protection for as many different serotypes of HPV as possible, bivalent, tetravalent and nonavalent HPV vaccines were developed, and there are also possibilities that the HPV vaccine with more serotypes and even higher price will be developed in the future.

American scientists found that HPV capsid protein L2 is highly conserved, and the differences between various serotypes are very small. The immunization of L2 protein for one serotype has shown cross-protection against other serotypes of HPV. Moreover, L2 protein does not need to work in the form of VLP through complex processes, thus greatly reducing the manufacturing difficulty and cost of the vaccine. Apart from that, it can be used to prevent the emerging epidemic HPV serotypes and minimize HPV’s threat to human health.

Dr. Michel Klein, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at BravoVax, said: "After obtaining the exclusive license from the U.S., we will work on the manufacturing process and analytical methods development of broad spectrum HPV vaccine based on the principle of Quality by Design (QbD) and move into the clinical trial as soon as possible. If clinical data can prove the safety, efficacy and cross-protection of the vaccine, it will surely bring new vision to the market of HPV vaccines and increase the coverage of HPV vaccine with a quality and affordable vaccine to all people.”