Diosynth Biotechnology Announces Agreement with VGX Pharmaceuticals

Diosynth Biotechnology has announced that it has signed an agreement with VGX Pharmaceuticals for process development activities and cGMP production of clinical trial material for their biological therapeutic drug candidate VGX-100.

VGX Pharmaceuticals has developed technology using specific viral proteins that can induce selective apoptosis (programmed cell death) in rapidly dividing cancer cells, leaving normal cells unharmed.

VGX-100, a recombinant viral protein r (Vpr), induces tumor cell death through apoptosis in number of human-derived tumor tissues including breast, prostate and brain. Initial clinical trials will target patients with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and gastric cancer.

In addition, the development and manufacturing program that Diosynth Biotechnology will perform employs the DowpharmaSM Pfenex Expression Technology™, a Pseudomonas-based technology. Pfenex Expression Technology can increase yields of recombinant protein when used in biomanufacturing applications.

"We are excited to work with VGX Pharmaceuticals, an innovative and progressive biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for infectious and immunological diseases and cancer,” said Jacques van Kimmenaede, President of Diosynth Biotechnology.

Van Kimmenaede added, “We are very interested in applying our skills in fermentation development and manufacturing for the production of VGX-100 and we are also very enthusiastic about using the Pfenex Expression Technology™ to do so.”

“We are pleased to have contracted Diosynth Biotechnology to manufacture VGX-100, given their extensive experience and broad capabilities in manufacturing of biologics and their commitment to high-quality cGMP manufacturing. Diosynth’s demonstrated ability to successfully employ the Pfenex Expression Technology™ was an important consideration in their selection as was the responsiveness of the organization,” said J. Joseph Kim, Ph.D., President and CEO of VGX Pharmaceuticals.