November 10, 2020 -- Fina Biosolutions has received a patent certificate from the European Patent Office for the expression and purification of the conjugate vaccine protein CRM197 in Escherichia coli.
Patent No. 3,099,800 covers a proprietary production method that will allow for increased access to vaccines in developing countries. Prior to the company's new method, the CRM197 protein was manufactured in Corynebacterium diphtheriae at low yields or commercially available only at a high cost.
The company's new expression method produces the protein at very high yields without the need for C. diphtheriae. The new method produces a soluble, properly folded protein that is expressed in the cytoplasm of E. coli.
CRM197 is a critical component of many vaccine formulations utilized by pharmaceutical companies worldwide for pneumococcal, meningococcal, and other conjugate vaccines. Fina markets CRM197 under the tradename EcoCRM and has executed several license agreements to utilize EcoCRM for vaccines in clinical and preclinical development.
The company has also ensured that EcoCRM is available in low-income countries. The platform has been extensively evaluated in preclinical studies for vaccines for infectious diseases, cancer, addiction treatment, and Alzheimer's disease.