Cevec Announces that CAP Cells Produce High Titers of RSV Vaccine

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of highly potent protein and vaccine expression systems based on human CAP cells, announced excellent data from an evaluation program for production of RSV vaccine in CAP cells. 

The data were obtained in a collaborative project with Paragon Bioservices Inc., a leading US biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer (CMO), and show that CAP cells were able to produce very high titers of RSV. Moreover and in contrast to other production systems, RSV produced in CAP cells show high-level of functional G-protein resulting in a very effective RSV vaccine with positive impact on attenuated-vaccine studies. With these data CAP cells prove again that they are an excellent tool as an expression system for different vaccines, meeting the highest regulatory demands and state-of-the art process requirements.

Even though many common diseases of childhood can now be prevented by early vaccination, currently there is still no vaccine approved to prevent RSV infection.

Worldwide it is estimated that RSV is responsible for a very high number of hospitalized infants and nearly seven percent of deaths in babies in their first year of life.

“Again CAP cells prove their enormous potential and significant advantages over many currently used production systems for vaccines,“ commented Dr Rainer Lichtenberger, COO/CFO  of CEVEC. “Next to Cytomegalovirus, Influenza and others, this is another striking example that CAP cells can efficiently propagate disease relevant human viruses. We were very pleased to work with Paragon on this project and benefited from their experience in vaccine production. This collaboration was extremely pleasant and successful.“

“The data obtained here will further help to position our CAP technology as unique production system also in the vaccine market“, added Wolfgang Kintzel, CEO of CEVEC. “CAP cells have already proven their immense potential for the production of therapeutic proteins in preclinical settings and in clinical trials. They are currently the only independent human cell line available for the production of such a broad array of biopharmaceuticals including both vaccines and proteins.“

Paragon’s CEO Marco Chacón agrees: “This teamwork pays not only for CEVEC, but also for Paragon. With use of CAP cells we can offer our customers a unique production system to meet the challenges of their vaccine target.  With this highly ambitious project we have again proven our expertise in this competitive business.“

CAP cells are an immortalized cell line derived from primary human amniocytes that meet the highest ethical and regulatory standards. CAP cells grow in serum-free suspension culture and allow for stable production of proteins and viruses/vaccines.