News update Singapore Homegrown flu-vaccine

By Bryan Huang

Singaporeans can get their own homegrown flu vaccine in the near future. --ST PHOTO: ALPHONSO CHAN

SINGAPOREANS can get their own homegrown flu vaccine in the near future.
Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) announced on Thursday that they are partnering a multi-agency group to develop a virus-like particle vaccine, which could establish an independent supply of influenza for the region.

Cytos will work with A*Star's Therapeutics Centre (ETC) and Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) to develop and produce a vaccine targeting the influenza hemagglutinin protein, which will then be further evaluated in pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies by DSO National Laboratories.

'We are extremely excited at the progress and scale of this collaboration. It is thanks to the suite of capabilities in Singapore from basic to translational research, and to the technological know-how at Cytos, that such a product can be brought from discovery to clinical delivery, to provide rapid and cost-effective protection against pandemic,' said Prof George Radda, Chairman of A*Star's Biomedical Research Council, which is funding part of the research.

The Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore and the Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) will also play a part, by conducting a proof-of-concept study to evaluate the safety of the vaccine and its capacity to induce virus-neutralising antibodies.

Associate Professor Ooi Eng Eong, the project's lead investigator and a virologist at Duke-NUS said: 'We believe that the investment Singapore has made in biomedical research can be translated into a''made in Singapore' influenza vaccine, which could be particularly important in mitigating health risks exacerbated by influenza pandemics.'

Added Prof Sam Lim, SCRI's Chief Operating Officer: 'Singaporeans and others in the Asean region will greatly benefit from this highly innovative clinical research.'

The worldwide, sub-licensable rights to further develop, manufacture and commercialise the vaccine will be held by Cytos, while A*Star subsidiaries will be entitled to produce the vaccine for Singapore and other Asean countries, the statement said.

Dr Martin Bachmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Cytos, said: 'The influenza vaccine collaboration is the first of its kind for Cytos and offers us the chance to, on the one hand, support Singapore and other member states of Asean in becoming more self-sufficient with provision of vaccines relevant to their emerging issues in public health, and, on the other hand, contribute a valuable product candidate to extend Cytos' existing pipeline.'