Telormedix, Swiss TPH Institute collaborate to develop effective vaccines for Malaria, Buruli Ulcer

Aug 3 2010

Telormedix, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company using targeted immunity to treat cancer and other diseases, today announced the start of a collaboration with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) on a pilot study using Telormedix's adjuvant, TMX-201, in connection with immunization for Malaria and Buruli Ulcer.

TMX-201 is a second generation TLR7 molecule which is intended to act as an activator of the innate immune system and enhance the process of immunisation. The study is focused on the testing of TMX-201 as a novel adjuvant in comparison with a standard adjuvant in a vaccination trial with two prototype antigens, one from Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria) and one from Mycobacterium ulcerans (Buruli Ulcer). This pilot study will be performed under the direction of Prof. Dr. Gerd Pluschke, Head of the Department of Parasitology and Infection Biology at the Swiss TPH.

Johanna Holldack, CEO of Telormedix commented:
"We intend this to be the beginning of a fruitful collaboration in order to develop effective vaccines for Malaria and Buruli Ulcer, two serious infectious diseases causing suffering and death in millions of patients worldwide. Our world leading expertise in the development of toll-like receptors matches the pioneering vaccine research at the Swiss TPH."

Prof. Dr. Gerd Pluschke, of the Swiss TPH, added:
"Malaria is one of the world's leading causes of death, particularly in children in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Buruli ulcers are severe infections that are becoming more and more common in West African countries. The Swiss TPH aims to rise to the challenge of developing these urgently needed vaccines and we hope that TMX-201 will greatly enhance the performance of the vaccines in these pilot studies."