ProBioGen Grants Transgene Additional License for AGE1.CR.pIX Cell Line

ProBioGen and Transgene report that they broadened the scope of their existing collaboration to include an additional license agreement for ProBioGen's suspension AGE1.CR.plXR cell line which is designed to boost Transgene's manufacturing capabilities with this specialized production technology. ProBioGen officials describe the cell line as a stable proliferating avian cell line derived from primary cells of a duck embryo. It was developed as an alternative to the use of chicken eggs for large-scale vaccine production. The cell line is available as both a suspension and adherent cell line and has been optimized for viral vaccine production and stability. The product, which grows in a commercially available, chemically defined medium without animal components and serves as a host for a variety of different virus strains, is aimed at cost-effective production and increased manufacturing productivity. 'This additional license reflects our confidence in the technology to prepare for future clinical needs at scale,' said Alessandro Rive, chairman and CEO of Transgene. 'We value Transgene's continued confidence in our AGE1.CR.pIX platform,' added Volker Sandig, PhD, CSO at ProBioGen. 'A continuous cell line qualified as a GMP master cell bank, grown in chemically defined and animal-component-free medium, means every batch begins from the same fully characterized starting material.' Transgene focuses on designing and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. The company's clinical-stage programs consist of a portfolio of viral vector-based immunotherapeutics. TG4050, the first individualized therapeutic vaccine based on the myvac® platform is Transgene's lead asset in the adjuvant treatment of head and neck cancers. TG4070, a second individualized vaccine candidate derived from the myvac platform, is in Phase I clinical development in combination with nivolumab in adjuvant non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). The company has other viral vector-based assets, including BT-001, an oncolytic virus based on the Invir.IO® viral backbone, which is in clinical development.