iNtRON’s PHAGERUS® Technology
iNtRON’s PHAGERUS® technology discovered the applicability of bacteriophage as a virus neutralizing vaccine, and has secured a number of related core technologies from late 2018. Based on this, we are actively investing in PHAGERUS® by launching the BD division (itLysin center and PHAGERUS center) in October this year, and we will continue to grow the PHAGERUS® field into the iNtRON’s new platform technology field following the existing itLysin® and PHAGEOEM fields. To this end, we will develop a ‘new innovative vaccine platform technology’ in line with the post-COVID-19 era through partnerships with related companies.
PHAGERUS® technology can induce humoral immunity as well as cell-mediated immunity by oral (sublingual) or nasal vaccines with natural bacteriophages and robot bacteriophages which are engineered to express antigens on their surfaces.
In particular, PHAGERUS® technology can induce cellular immunity by expressing fragment crystallizable region (Fc region) of antibodies on the surface of the robot bacteriophage to enable targeting into antigen presenting cells (APCs). In addition, humoral immunity can also be induced by utilizing natural bacteriophages with virus-like antigens or robotic bacteriophages in which virus antigens or similar antigens are expressed on the surface. On the other hand, if a special bacteriophage is used as a vaccine with PHAGERUS® technology, there is no need to use a separate vaccine adjuvant, so you can be free from safety issues related to vaccine adjuvants.
iNtRON is setting a human flu vaccine as the primary technology application target of the original technology, and plans to expand the its scope sequentially in the order of avian influenza (AI) vaccines and G4 virus vaccines. In particular, the concept of universal antigens will be applied in the development of human flu vaccines so that there is no need to develop a different vaccine every year.
In accordance with this vaccine roadmap, iNtRON will actively invest in related fields through cooperation with partners.
We are currently exploring the possibility of applying PHAGERUS® technology to the COVID-19 virus, which is an urgent task facing the world, and we will provide further details according to future development progress.
iNtRON aims to become a “global company in diagnostics, prophylactics and therapeutics” and will continue to expand (1) itLysin® pipelines, (2) PHAGEOME pipelines, and (3) PHAGERUS® pipelines based on our full-line-up technology platforms which targeting bacteria and viruses. Also, we will actively invest in related R&BD and do our best to achieve substantial results that meet your expectations.
It is iNtRON.