Protein Sciences Announces Exclusive License to uniQure of Cell Line and Technology for Production of Human Gene Therapies

MERIDEN, Conn., June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Protein Sciences Corporation, makers of Flublok® influenza vaccine, announced today that they have entered into an agreement with uniQure NV, a leader in gene therapy, under which Protein Sciences has exclusively licensed its proprietary expresSF+® cell line (SF+) and associated technology to uniQure for production of its human gene therapy products based on rAAV vectors.  The companies, which have had a relationship that spans nearly a decade, will expand their agreement to include uniQure's broad pipeline of investigational gene therapies in development. Under the terms of the agreement, Protein Sciences will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for a one-time milestone payment. 

Manon Cox, President and CEO of Protein Sciences said, "We are very pleased to expand our license agreement with uniQure.  The company was one of the first to use our SF+ cell line and technology platform, and we look forward to helping uniQure bring new transformative gene therapy products to patients."   

About Protein Sciences
Protein Sciences is a vaccine development and protein production company that is dedicated to saving lives and improving health through the creation of innovative vaccines and biopharmaceuticals.    

About Flublok
Flublok, the world's first recombinant protein-based vaccine for the prevention of seasonal influenza disease, was approved by the U.S. FDA in January 2013.  Flublok is the only flu vaccine made in a 100% egg-free system using modern cell culture technology, making it unnecessary to use an infectious influenza virus or antibiotics in manufacturing.  Flublok is highly purified and does not contain any preservatives (e.g., thimerosal, a mercury derivative), egg proteins, gelatin or latex.  In addition, Flublok contains three times more antigen than traditional flu vaccines (3x45mcg hemagglutinin protein versus 3x15mcg hemagglutinin protein)*.  Flublok is a perfect copy of the virus coat and is not subject to the egg-adapted mutations associated with low vaccine effectiveness (see Skowronski et al. (2014) PLOS ONE 9(3), e92153).

Learn more at www.proteinsciences.com and www.flublok.com.

Flublok Safety Information
Flublok is approved for people 18 and older to prevent influenza disease.  The most common side effect from Flublok is pain at the site of injection. Headache, fatigue or muscle ache may occur. Tell the doctor if you have ever experienced Guillain-Barré syndrome (severe muscle weakness) or have had a severe allergic reaction to any component of Flublok vaccine. Vaccination with Flublok may not protect all individuals. Clinical effectiveness in adults 50 and older is based on the immune response elicited by Flublok and not on demonstration of decreased influenza disease.  Please see the complete Package Insert available at www.flublok.com or call 203-686-0800 for more information.

*Flublok demonstrated a higher antibody response to the A strains during 2 clinical trials in adults ≥50 years old.  The B strain antibody response was comparable to traditional trivalent vaccines.

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SOURCE Protein Sciences Corporation

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http://www.proteinsciences.com