Apr 26, 2017 | Genome Atlantic, News
“Genome Atlantic and its partners have transformed a tiny seed into a big opportunity, creating an innovative, alternative solution with long-term benefits to industry. This kind of work is at the heart of positioning Canada as a world-leading innovation economy.”
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister Responsible for ACOA.
Halifax, NS – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved the use of mechanically-extracted camelina oil as a feed ingredient for farmed salmon and trout.
Camelina sativa, or false flax, is a hardy oilseed plant that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein and antioxidants. This super-nutritious plant is used as a vegetable oil for human consumption and as an ingredient or supplement in some animal feeds. Fish feed manufacturers have also explored the use of crop-based oilseeds like camelina as viable and cost-efficient substitutes for wild-sourced fish oils and proteins currently used in fish feeds.
A recently completed large-scale study of camelina oil managed by Genome Atlantic with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)’s Atlantic Innovation Fund, found camelina to be an excellent match to the fatty acid composition required in the diets of farmed fish. Backed by this compelling evidence, Genome Atlantic applied to the CFIA for approval of camelina oil for use in fish feeds.
“Genome Atlantic and its partners have transformed a tiny seed into a big opportunity, creating an innovative, alternative solution with long-term benefits to industry,” said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA. “This kind of work is at the heart of positioning Canada as a world-leading innovation economy. The Government of Canada will continue to focus on skilled, talented and creative people and projects such as this, that create jobs and grow the middle class.”
Aquaculture scientist Dr. Chris Parrish of Memorial University, one of the study’s principal researchers, says that camelina oil has characteristics that make it a particularly promising alternative in fish diets. “Among the oils that can be used to replace fish oil in aquafeeds, camelina is one of the few with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. While these omega-3 fatty acids are different to those present in fish oils, they enhance the ability of fish to synthesize the healthful long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that are needed for their optimal growth. This, in turn, ensures a healthful fillet for human consumers,” said Dr. Parrish.
“Investments in industry-led R&D in Atlantic Canada lead to tangible benefits.
– Steve Armstrong, President & CEO of Genome Atlantic.
Another of the study’s principal researchers, Dr. Claude Caldwell of Dalhousie University, explains that the scientists found camelina oil to be sufficiently nutritious to replace all the fish oil in feeds, as well as some of the ground fish meal. “The use of wild-sourced fish to feed the farmed fish is not sustainable either ecologically or economically. Camelina could be a viable alternative,” he said. Considering that aquaculture companies spend 50 to 70 percent of their budgets on feed, finding a high-quality, lower cost source of oil could mean significant savings.
While the CFIA’s recent approval only covers camelina oil, Dr. Caldwell and his Dalhousie team are currently conducting feeding trials for the CFIA on camelina meal. “Camelina meal can’t entirely replace fish meal used in fish feeds, but it could replace some of that meal,” he said.
Camelina is grown in many parts of the world, including North America. Dr. Caldwell suggests camelina could be a good rotation crop for potatoes, making it a potentially viable option for farmers in Maritime Canada. “There are about 200,000 acres of potatoes planted in this region. Camelina could be a successful rotation crop that could open new markets for farmers while making the aquaculture industry healthier and more sustainable,” said Dr. Caldwell.
“Investments in industry-led R&D in Atlantic Canada lead to tangible benefits. In this instance, the generous support of ACOA and other collaborators on the Camelina Project has led to opening up a potential new market for our regional farmers and a sustainable alternative feed ingredient for our aquaculture producers,” said Steve Armstrong, President & CEO of Genome Atlantic.
The Camelina Project also received support from The Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RDC), the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the University of Saskatchewan, Memorial University, Dalhousie University, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Minas Seeds, Cooke Aquaculture, and Genome Prairie.
More information on the Camelina Project
Original release]]>
Apr 19, 2017 | Announcements, Appili Therapeutics, News
See original release
For Immediate Release
April 19, 2017 – HALIFAX, Nova Scotia –– Appili Therapeutics Inc. (“Appili”), an anti-infective drug development company, today announced that it will participate in this year’s Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference in Toronto, Canada. The event takes place May 1-2, 2017 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
Appili’s Chief Financial Officer, Kimberly Stephens, will present a corporate overview and update on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. ET in Hall B, Lower Concourse Level of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
Ms. Stephens’ presentation will focus on market potential of Appili’s anti-infective pipeline as the company advances its late-stage and early-stage antibiotic candidates. She will discuss the future clinical path for its lead product, ATI-1501, a taste-masked, oral antibiotic that treats anaerobic infections like Clostridium difficile, as well as the Company’s earlier-stage product, ATI-1503, a novel antibiotic that targets Gram-negative bacteria.
Investors interested in arranging a meeting with Ms. Stephens during this conference should contact Bloom Burton & Co.’s conference coordinator.
About the Conference
Bloom Burton & Co. is hosting its sixth annual Healthcare Investor Conference on May 1 and 2, 2017 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto, Canada. The Company aims to showcase approximately 60 of Canada’s premier healthcare companies to its network of international investors. The conference includes networking sessions, keynote speeches and panel discussions with venture capital, public equity and strategic investors. The event attracts investors who are interested in the latest developments in Canadian healthcare companies. Investors will have the opportunity to obtain corporate updates from presenting companies and participate in 1-on-1 meetings with company management.
About Appili Therapeutics
Appili is dedicated to identifying, acquiring and advancing novel therapeutics for infectious disease. The company has two anti-infective programs, ATI-1501 and ATI-1503, in its pipeline. ATI-1501 is a taste-masked treatment for anaerobic infections, including C. difficile. Appili’s second product, ATI-1503, is a novel antibiotic with broad potential to treat drug-resistant Gram-negative infections, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobactor baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These drug-resistant infections have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as posing the highest threat to human health. For more information visit www.AppiliTherapeutics.com.]]>
Apr 18, 2017 | Announcements, IMV Inc., News
Immunovaccine Announces Dosing of First Patient in Investigator-Sponsored Phase 1b/2 Clinical Trial Evaluating Immuno-Oncology Candidate Targeting Incurable HPV-Related Cancers
Study Demonstrates Broad Applicability of Immunovaccine’s DepoVax™ Platform for Delivering Cancer Antigens
Halifax, Nova Scotia; April 18, 2017 – Immunovaccine Inc. (“Immunovaccine” or the “Company”) (TSX: IMV; OTCQX: IMMVF), a clinical stage vaccine and immunotherapy company, today announced that the first study participant has been treated in a Phase 1b/2 clinical study evaluating Immunovaccine’s investigational cancer vaccine, DPX-E7, in combination with low-dose cyclophosphamide in patients with incurable oropharyngeal, cervical and anal cancers related to the human papillomavirus (HPV).
“Because DPX-E7 is formulated with the same DepoVax™ platform technology as our DPX-Survivac candidate, this trial further demonstrates the broad applicability of DepoVax™ to deliver cancer antigens appropriately,” said
Frederic Ors, Immunovaccine’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is also an important step forward in developing therapies for the high-risk HPV infections that have been linked to cancers associated with poor patient outcomes. We are pleased to be working with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in this endeavor, and we look forward to continuing to fully leverage our platform’s potential to address high unmet medical needs, delivering more options to patients and creating more opportunities to generate value for our shareholders.”
The Dana-Farber study is a single center, open label, non-randomized clinical trial that will investigate the safety and clinical efficacy of DPX-E7 in combination with low-dose metronomic oral cyclophosphamide in a total of 44 treated participants. Its primary objectives are to evaluate changes in CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood and tumor tissue, and to evaluate the safety of DPX-E7 vaccination in HLA-A2 positive patients with incurable HPV-related head and neck, cervical or anal cancers. DPX-E7 targets an HPV viral protein known as E7. Immunovaccine has the option to produce the DPX-E7 vaccine if it proves successful in the clinic.
“We are excited to offer this new therapy for our patients with HPV-related head and neck, anal and cervical cancers that have recurred after standard therapy,“ said Robert Haddad M.D., disease center leader, head and neck oncology program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
This trial marks another milestone in the expansion of Immunovaccine’s growing
pipeline of immuno-oncology candidates. Currently, Immunovaccine has multiple early-stage trials evaluating DepoVax™-based clinical candidates in ovarian cancer. The Company most
recently announced that Princess Margaret Cancer Centre had received Health Canada clearance to begin an investigator-sponsored Phase 2 ovarian cancer study evaluating Immunovaccine’s DPX-Survivac with Merck’s pembrolizumab.
Individuals interested in enrolling in the
Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating DPX-E7 can find more information via
clinicaltrials.gov.
About HPV-related Cancers
Approximately 30 to 40 types of human papillomaviruses (HPV) are transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anogenital region and oropharynx. About 15 of these are designated “high-risk” (i.e., oncogenic); more than five percent of all new cancers are attributed to high-risk HPV infections. iHPV is the cause of virtually all cases of cervical cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, and has been linked to anal, vulva, vaginal, penile and oropharyngeal cancers.ii,iii,iv
About DepoVax™
DepoVax™ is a patented formulation that provides controlled and prolonged exposure of antigens plus adjuvant to the immune system, resulting in a strong, specific and sustained immune response with the potential for single-dose effectiveness. The DepoVax™ platform is flexible and can be used with a broad range of target antigens for preventative or therapeutic applications. The technology is designed to be commercially scalable, with the potential for years of shelf life stability. Fully synthetic, off-the-shelf DepoVax™-based vaccines are also relatively easy to manufacture, store, and administer. These characteristics enable Immunovaccine to pursue vaccine candidates in cancer, infectious diseases and other vaccine applications.
About Immunovaccine
Immunovaccine Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to making immunotherapy more effective, more broadly applicable, and more widely available to people facing cancer and infectious diseases. Immunovaccine develops T cell activating cancer immunotherapies and infectious disease vaccines based on DepoVax™, the Company’s patented platform that provides controlled and prolonged exposure of antigens and adjuvant to the immune system. Immunovaccine has advanced two T cell activation therapies for cancer through Phase 1 human clinical trials and is currently conducting a Phase 1b study with Incyte Corporation assessing lead cancer therapy, DPX-Survivac, as a combination therapy in ovarian cancer. The Company is also exploring additional applications of DepoVax™, including DPX-RSV, an innovative vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which has recently completed a Phase 1 clinical trial. Immunovaccine also has ongoing clinical projects to assess the potential of DepoVax™ to address malaria and the Zika virus. Connect at
www.imvaccine.com.
Immunovaccine Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking information under applicable securities law. All information that addresses activities or developments that we expect to occur in the future is forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the date the statements are made. However, they should not be regarded as a representation that any of the plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release due to risks affecting the Company, including access to capital, the successful completion of clinical trials and receipt of all regulatory approvals. Immunovaccine Inc. assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements in this press release except as required by law.
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Apr 12, 2017 | IMV Inc., News
See original release here
100 Percent of Healthy Older Adult Volunteers Who Responded to Vaccine Achieved a Sustained Antigen-Specific Immune Response that Remains at Peak One Year Post-Vaccination with DPX-RSV; This Level of Response with a Low-dose Volume of a Small Peptide is Groundbreaking and Highlights Potential of DepoVax™ Platform
Halifax, Nova Scotia; April 12, 2017 – Immunovaccine Inc. (TSX: IMV; OTCQX: IMMVF), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company, today announced updated data on its investigator-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trial testing the safety and immunogenicity of its DepoVax™-based, small B-cell epitope peptide vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In the 25 µg dose cohort, which was the only dose tested out to one year, 100 percent of older adults (7/7 immune responders) vaccinated with DPX-RSV maintained the antigen-specific immune responses one year after receiving the booster dose. At one year, the antibody levels measured were still at peak with no sign of decrease. The 25 µg dose was delivered in a volume of 50 microliters. A standard flu vaccine is typically 60 µg delivered in 10 times this volume.
“The persistence of antigen-specific, circulating immune response at such a high level at six months was intriguing enough to warrant an assessment at the one year time point,” said Joanne Langley, BA, MD, MSc, FRCPC, of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV) based at Dalhousie University, and the trial’s principal investigator. “The persistence of immunogenicity at one year to this peptide vaccine presented in a novel adjuvanting platform suggests that it is possible to create an immune response that lasts for at least an entire RSV season.”
“We believe that the strength and duration of this immune response, particularly from a peptide epitope vaccine, is truly groundbreaking,” said Frederic Ors, Immunovaccine’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have long since maintained that, to effectively deal with complex diseases such as RSV, we need to pursue a novel target and a delivery formulation that is reliable and impactful. We believe that this DPX-RSV data validates this approach, and are hopeful that our vaccine candidate may offer those who suffer from RSV an option that goes beyond what can be accomplished with other vaccines in development.”
“It is encouraging to observe such a prolonged serum antibody response against this membrane protein of RSV after DPX-RSV vaccination,” said Xavier Saelens, group leader of the VIB-UGent Centre for Medical Biotechnology (VIB and Ghent University, Belgium).
“We have analyzed the year-one samples blinded and in a different way compared to the measurements performed by Immunovaccine. The results obtained in the two labs align clearly and show the longevity of the antibody response,” said Bert Schepens, staff scientist in the Saelens group, which has been performing confirmatory testing of the clinical trial samples.
Last year, Immunovaccine reported positive top-line results from the Phase 1 dose-escalation trial evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of DPX-RSV in 40 healthy older adults six months after vaccination. In a further follow-up, antigen-specific immune responses were detected at least six months after the last vaccination in 93 percent (15/16) of patients receiving DPX-RSV, in both low-dose (8/8 participants) and high-dose (7/8 participants) cohorts. The new data reported today are based on the high-dose cohort, which was the only dose tested out to one year. The trial was conducted at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV), based at Dalhousie University; the IWK Health Centre; and the Nova Scotia Health Authority; and funded in an industry-academic collaboration by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Immunovaccine.
About RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages. While it usually leads to mild, cold-like symptoms, it can be severe in the elderly, infants and patients with compromised immune systems. It is second only to influenza as the most commonly identified cause of viral pneumonia in older persons. Globally, it is estimated that
64 million cases of RSV infection occur annually in all age groups, with 160,000 deaths. There is no vaccine currently available to prevent RSV.
About DPX-RSV
DPX-RSV is Immunovaccine’s prophylactic, small B-cell epitope peptide vaccine candidate designed specifically to address the unmet medical needs in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). DPX-RSV targets the SH antigen of RSV, which may provide additional immunogenic benefit over traditional approaches for high risk populations, including infants and the elderly. Scientists from VIB and Ghent University (Belgium) demonstrated the protective potential of the ectodomain of the small hydrophobic (SH) protein of RSV as a vaccine antigen.i In addition, the concentrated dosage enabled by the DepoVax™ delivery system may help mitigate injection site point-of-pain, which has been a limitation for other potential treatments. The Company reported Phase 1 data for DPX-RSV at the six-month time point, which indicated that the vaccine demonstrated a tolerable safety profile and induced a measurable immunogenic response in 93 percent of healthy adult volunteers across both dose cohorts. Immunovaccine holds exclusive worldwide license on applications that target the SH ectodomain antigen in RSV from VIB and Ghent University.
About Immunovaccine
Immunovaccine Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to making immunotherapy more effective, more broadly applicable, and more widely available to people facing cancer and infectious diseases. Immunovaccine develops T cell activating cancer immunotherapies and infectious disease vaccines based on DepoVax™, the Company’s patented platform that provides controlled and prolonged exposure of antigens and adjuvant to the immune system. Immunovaccine has advanced two T cell activation therapies for cancer through Phase 1 human clinical trials and is currently conducting a Phase 1b study with Incyte Corporation assessing lead cancer therapy, DPX-Survivac, as a combination therapy in ovarian cancer. An investigator-sponsored Phase 2 study will assess the safety and efficacy of DPX-Survivac combined with an approved anti-PD-1 drug in advanced ovarian cancer. The Company is also exploring additional applications of DepoVax™, including DPX-RSV, an innovative vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which has recently completed a Phase 1 clinical trial. Immunovaccine also has ongoing clinical projects to assess the potential of DepoVax™ to address malaria and the Zika virus. Connect at
www.imvaccine.com.
Immunovaccine Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking information under applicable securities law. All information that addresses activities or developments that we expect to occur in the future is forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the date the statements are made. However, they should not be regarded as a representation that any of the plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release due to risks affecting the Company, including access to capital, the successful completion of clinical trials and receipt of all regulatory approvals. Immunovaccine Inc. assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements in this press release except as required by law.
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Contacts for Immunovaccine:
MEDIA
Mike Beyer, Sam Brown Inc.
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Pierre Labbé, Chief Financial Officer
Patti Bank, Managing Director, Westwicke Partners
O: (415) 513-1284
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iSchepens B et al., (2014) Protection and mechanism of action of a novel human Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine candidate based on the extracellular domain of Small Hydrophobic protein. EMBO Mol. Med., 6:1436-1454. DOI: DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201404005
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Apr 11, 2017 | Athletigen Technologies Inc., News
Athletigen has been chosen to participate in this year’s Sports Tank in New York City on April 11. Sports Tank aims to connect entrepreneurs with potential investors and influencers in the sports community.
Athletigen will pitch their DNA insights app, Iris, ‘Shark Tank’ style to executives in the sports industry for a chance to secure funding. Sports Tank is the only sports-specific pitch event and will help Athletigen gain exposure, potential partnerships and investors.
The Nova Scotian start-up is the only Canadian company to be selected for this year’s competition.
Congratulations and good luck to Athletigen!
CBC’s Brett Ruskin has more info here:
VIDEO: Global contest to find sports-industry startups has shortlisted Nova Scotia-based @Athletigen — the only Canadian company chosen. pic.twitter.com/26npFownaj
— Brett Ruskin (@Brett_CBC) April 11, 2017
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