2020. november 10., kedd 09:50 |
Swiss Rockets AG announces the founding of ROCKETVAX for the development of a next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (part 1) |
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Basel, 10 November, 2020 (APA/OTS) - The rapid development of an effective and safe vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is a top priority for Swiss Rockets AG. A Basel-based subsidiary, RocketVax AG, was founded to utilize innovative Swiss technologies and expertise to achieve this goal. |
"The development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine might be more complex than
anticipated, and the first generation of vaccines may not provide
the long-lasting, high-level protection that will be needed to end
the many negative consequences of the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A
number of leading SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates use other viruses,
such as adenoviruses tagged with just one coronavirus protein,
particularly the spike protein which is required for the virus to
enter cells. However, it is unlikely that these vaccines will induce
strong and lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2. We believe that it
is important to develop vaccines that cover as many SARS-CoV-2
proteins as possible but without any pathogenic potential", says Dr.
Vladimir Cmiljanovic, Chairman and CEO of Swiss Rockets.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Klimkait, Virologist at the University of Basel
and Project Leader of Preclinical Development at RocketVax,
explains: "As an innovative next-generation vaccine, RocketVax is
developing a complete but 'replication blocked' SARS-CoV-2 virus
that presents all essential protein components in the virus particle
to the human immune system." Novel methods are being utilized in the
production of the active ingredient. RocketVax, in a first step,
relies on ground-breaking DNA synthesis technology from the ETH
spin-off Gigabases Switzerland AG. The gene sequence of the desired
artificial viral genome, optimal for an immune response, is designed
using high computing power and advanced DNA design algorithms. The
designed genome lacks one essential virus element needed for
replication. This element is provided by a human producer cell,
yielding complete virus particles in the laboratory. The "artificial
virus" can be made in large quantities for use as a vaccine. This
technology allows the rapid production of various genome sequences,
enabling vaccine production with one or mixtures of viral sequences.
It also allows for incorporation of any relevant SARS-CoV-2
mutations that may arise in the future.
Foundation of RocketVax AG and acquisition of the inventor rights
from the ETH spin-off Gigabases Switzerland AG
Swiss Rockets has acquired the exclusive rights to develop a
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine using the breakthrough DNA synthesis technology
from the ETH spin-off Gigabases Switzerland AG. The next generation
of SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccines will be developed together with
Gigabases and a consortium of experts from several leading Swiss
universities and institutes.
For this purpose, Swiss Rockets has founded RocketVax AG in Basel
and provides the necessary infrastructure with office and laboratory
space as an incubator in cooperation with the Canton of Basel-City
and the University of Basel. This provides RocketVax with access to
the necessary biosafety laboratory. Swiss Rockets also acts as an
accelerator by investing additional funds in the development of
RocketVax in the medium term and is responsible for supporting
RocketVax in national and international financing rounds. Also,
management expertise is provided by Swiss Rockets, together with
leading Swiss and international experts.
RocketVax works together with leading scientists Prof. Marcel Tanner, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology, Medical
Parasitology and Public Health and former Director of the Swiss
Tropical and Public Health Institute, will act as a chief scientific
advisor. He is a leading clinical epidemiologist and a pioneer in
R&D for vaccines and drugs against diseases of poverty and neglected
tropical diseases. Prof. Claudia Daubenberger, Head of Clinical Immunology at the
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, will support the
clinical development. RocketVax will have access to an international
clinical trial network to enable innovative and rapid clinical
development in different human populations. Prof. Thomas Klimkait, the virologist at the University of Basel,
optimizes the virus production process and leads preclinical
development. Prof. Adrian Egli, Head of Molecular Verification and Sequencing at
the University Hospital Basel, will support the preclinical and
clinical development. Dr. Matthias Christen, CEO of Gigabases Switzerland AG, a biotech
company responsible for manufacturing and delivering entire DNA
constructs essential for different vaccine candidates. Prof. Beat Christen, Co-Founder of Gigabases Switzerland AG and
Professor at the ETH Zurich, advises the company on DNA sequences
design. Prof. Bernd Giese from the University of Fribourg, one of the
World's leading chemists, will provide DNA chemistry expertise. Prof. Christian Münz, Co-head of the Institute for Experimental
Immunology at the University of Zurich, provides expertise in new in
vivo SARS-CoV-2 infection models.
Team Board of Directors: Dr. Jeanette Wood - Chairman, Non-executive Board member Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic - Vice Chairman, Executive Board member Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic - Executive Board member Dr. Thomas Ladner - Non-executive Board member Marco Illy - Non-executive Board member
Management Team: Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic - Chief Executive Officer Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic - Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mohammad Johri - Chief Business Officer Dr. Josef Künzle - Chief Quality Officer (continues)
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2020. november 10., kedd 09:51 |
Swiss Rockets AG announces the founding of ROCKETVAX for the development of a next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (part 2) |
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Basel, 10 November, 2020 (APA/OTS) - |
About Swiss Rockets AG
Swiss Rockets AG, founded in 2018, is driving a paradigm shift in
healthcare and innovation. Patients will benefit from new therapies
developed with innovative and disruptive methods. The Swiss Rockets
team combines the necessary expertise and experience to produce
innovative medicines focusing on cancer and viral diseases.
The founder and CEO of Swiss Rockets AG is Dr. Vladimir
Cmiljanovic, a medicinal chemist and entrepreneur with more than 15
years of experience developing cancer drugs. He is the founder of
the Swiss biotech companies PIQUR and TargImmune. Together with his
sister Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic, co-founder and Scientific Director of
Swiss Rockets AG, he developed cancer drugs at the University of
Basel and founded and managed several biotech companies. Other
co-founders are Manuel Ebner and Dr. Thomas Sander. Manuel Ebner,
Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Switzerland, is a
strategic advisor to Swiss Rockets. Dr. Thomas Sander, one of the
first employees of the biotech company Actelion, is a scientific
advisor to Swiss Rockets.
Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic heads the Board of Directors of Swiss
Rockets AG. Other board members are Prof. Dr. Michael N. Hall, a
renowned researcher and professor at the Biozentrum of the
University of Basel; Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic, a medicinal chemist and
clinical scientist with experience in the development of cancer
drugs; Dr. Thomas Ladner, business lawyer, founder and co-founder of
several successful start-ups and the World.Minds Foundation; and
André Debrunner, financial expert and fund administrator at Northern
Trust Switzerland AG.
Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)
For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
KCCC Korfmann Corporate Communications Consulting AG Dr. Sabina Korfmann-Bodenmann Managing Director Zeltweg 40 8032 Zurich T. +41 43 244 87 37 E. s.korfmann@kccc.ch
Swiss Rockets AG Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic Chief Executive Officer Rittergasse 3 4051 Basel T. +41 61 561 54 21 E. vladimir.cmiljanovic@swissrockets.com www.swissrockets.com
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