Generex hybrid peptides show promising Avian flu vaccine applications

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 4 - Generex Biotechnology Corp. said that its immunotherapeutics subsidiary Antigen Express has discovered and patented novel hybrid peptides that may produce a superior H5NI avian influenza vaccine.

Robert Humphreys, chief scientific officer of Antigen Express, presented the data on Friday at the Conference on Vaccines in Washington, D.C.

Under the leadership of Eric von Hofe, president of Antigen Express, Generex said it has organized its forces to speed development of a H5N1 avian influenza vaccine using these hybrid peptides.

Generex said vaccines incorporating the hybrid peptide have advantages over a classically produced vaccine: the hybrid peptides stimulate T helper cells, producing an effective immune response more quickly; a lower dose would be required for the same effect as the classically produced vaccine; the hybrid peptide vaccine would affords a significant degree of protection in one dose, rather than two; and it can be synthesized inexpensively and in large quantities.

The company said it has advanced specific product candidates for other infectious diseases and cancer using the hybrid peptides, the most advanced of which is an Ii-Key hybrid of a peptide found in the cancer-associated HER-2/neu protein. This compound is currently in phase-1 clinical trials at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"The theoretical reasons why these special vaccine hybrid peptides might be very effective as a stand-alone as well as in allowing lower doses of recombinant H5 protein to be used are well established in many peer-reviewed papers. Data from their [Antigen Express'] H5 preclinical studies are beginning to bear this out. We plan, as fast as possible, to bring these novel compounds to protect against pandemic influenza into the clinic," said Anna Gluskin, president and chief executive officer of Generex, in a company press release.

Generex is a biotechnology company based in Toronto that develops drug delivery systems and technologies.

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