ViRexx Medical Corp.

ViRexx Medical Corp. has developed a novel technology, Chimigen™ platform, for application in vaccines to treat chronic infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

In a healthy person, foreign antigens – such as those found on a virus – normally trigger a two-pronged immune response. Antibodies are released into the blood and  bind to antigens on the virus surface, marking it for destruction; and killer T-cells are deployed to directly eliminate cells carrying the infectious agent. When an antigen doesn’t produce either or both of these responses, the person will develop a tolerance to the infectious agent and become a chronic carrier of the disease.

ViRexx’s patented Chimigen™ technology uses genetically engineered recombinant molecules that direct both arms of the immune system to attack the infection. ViRexx has used the technology to develop HepaVaxx B, a vaccine for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infections. Pre-clinical trials have established proof of principle, and Phase I clinical trials are scheduled for early 2005.

HBV infection affects an estimated 370 million people globally, putting them at high risk of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and, in up to 25 per cent of cases, death. Vaccines are available to prevent the disease, but they are not effective in treating chronic infections. The world market for an effective therapeutic vaccine against chronic HBV infection is estimated to exceed $1 billion (US).