PR86524

BASEL, Switzerland, Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The rapid development of an effective and safe vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is a

top priority for Swiss Rockets AG. A Basel-based subsidiary, RocketVax AG, was

founded to utilize innovative Swiss technologies and expertise to achieve this goal.

"The development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine might be more complex than

anticipated, and the first generation of vaccines may not provide the

long-lasting, high-level protection that will be needed to end the many

negative consequences of the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A number of leading

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates use other viruses, such as adenoviruses tagged

with just one coronavirus protein, particularly the spike protein which is

required for the virus to enter cells. However, it is unlikely that these

vaccines will induce strong and lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2. We

believe that it is important to develop vaccines that cover as many SARS-CoV-2

proteins as possible but without any pathogenic potential", says Dr. Vladimir

Cmiljanovic, Chairman and CEO of Swiss Rockets.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Klimkait, Virologist at the University of Basel and Project

Leader of Preclinical Development at RocketVax, explains: "As an innovative

next-generation vaccine, RocketVax is developing a complete but 'replication

blocked' SARS-CoV-2 virus that presents all essential protein components in the

virus particle to the human immune system." Novel methods are being utilized in

the production of the active ingredient. RocketVax, in a first step, relies on

ground-breaking DNA synthesis technology from the ETH spin-off Gigabases

Switzerland AG. The gene sequence of the desired artificial viral genome,

optimal for an immune response, is designed using high computing power and

advanced DNA design algorithms. The designed genome lacks one essential virus

element needed for replication. This element is provided by a human producer

cell, yielding complete virus particles in the laboratory. The "artificial

virus" can be made in large quantities for use as a vaccine. This technology

allows the rapid production of various genome sequences, enabling vaccine

production with one or mixtures of viral sequences. It also allows for

incorporation of any relevant SARS-CoV-2 mutations that may arise in the future.

Foundation of RocketVax AG and acquisition of the inventor rights from the ETH

spin-off Gigabases Switzerland AG

Swiss Rockets has acquired the exclusive rights to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

using the breakthrough DNA synthesis technology from the ETH spin-off Gigabases

Switzerland AG. The next generation of SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccines will be

developed together with Gigabases and a consortium of experts from several

leading Swiss universities and institutes.

For this purpose, Swiss Rockets has founded RocketVax AG in Basel and provides

the necessary infrastructure with office and laboratory space as an incubator

in cooperation with the Canton of Basel-City and the University of Basel. This

provides RocketVax with access to the necessary biosafety laboratory. Swiss

Rockets also acts as an accelerator by investing additional funds in the

development of RocketVax in the medium term and is responsible for supporting

RocketVax in national and international financing rounds. Also, management

expertise is provided by Swiss Rockets, together with leading Swiss and

international experts.

RocketVax works together with leading scientists

Prof. Marcel Tanner, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology, Medical Parasitology

and Public Health and former Director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health

Institute, will act as a chief scientific advisor. He is a leading clinical

epidemiologist and a pioneer in R&D for vaccines and drugs against diseases of

poverty and neglected tropical diseases.

Prof. Claudia Daubenberger, Head of Clinical Immunology at the Swiss Tropical

and Public Health Institute, will support the clinical development. RocketVax

will have access to an international clinical trial network to enable

innovative and rapid clinical development in different human populations.

Prof. Thomas Klimkait, the virologist at the University of Basel, optimizes the

virus production process and leads preclinical development.

Prof. Adrian Egli, Head of Molecular Verification and Sequencing at the

University Hospital Basel, will support the preclinical and clinical development.

Dr. Matthias Christen, CEO of Gigabases Switzerland AG, a biotech company

responsible for manufacturing and delivering entire DNA constructs essential

for different vaccine candidates.

Prof. Beat Christen, Co-Founder of Gigabases Switzerland AG and Professor at

the ETH Zurich, advises the company on DNA sequences design.

Prof. Bernd Giese from the University of Fribourg, one of the World's leading

chemists, will provide DNA chemistry expertise.

Prof. Christian Münz, Co-head of the Institute for Experimental Immunology at

the University of Zurich, provides expertise in new in vivo SARS-CoV-2 infection models.

Team

Board of Directors:

Dr. Jeanette Wood – Chairman, Non-executive Board member

Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic – Vice Chairman, Executive Board member

Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic – Executive Board member

Dr. Thomas Ladner – Non-executive Board member

Marco Illy – Non-executive Board member

Management Team:

Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic – Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic – Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Mohammad Johri – Chief Business Officer

Dr. Josef Künzle – Chief Quality Officer

About Swiss Rockets AG

Swiss Rockets AG, founded in 2018, is driving a paradigm shift in healthcare

and innovation. Patients will benefit from new therapies developed with

innovative and disruptive methods. The Swiss Rockets team combines the

necessary expertise and experience to produce innovative medicines focusing on

cancer and viral diseases.

The founder and CEO of Swiss Rockets AG is Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic, a

medicinal chemist and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience

developing cancer drugs. He is the founder of the Swiss biotech companies PIQUR

and TargImmune. Together with his sister Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic, co-founder and

Scientific Director of Swiss Rockets AG, he developed cancer drugs at the

University of Basel and founded and managed several biotech companies. Other

co-founders are Manuel Ebner and Dr. Thomas Sander. Manuel Ebner, Managing

Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Switzerland, is a strategic advisor

to Swiss Rockets. Dr. Thomas Sander, one of the first employees of the biotech

company Actelion, is a scientific advisor to Swiss Rockets.

Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic heads the Board of Directors of Swiss Rockets AG.

Other board members are Prof. Dr. Michael N. Hall, a renowned researcher and

professor at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel; Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic,

a medicinal chemist and clinical scientist with experience in the development

of cancer drugs; Dr. Thomas Ladner, business lawyer, founder and co-founder of

several successful start-ups and the World.Minds Foundation; and André

Debrunner, financial expert and fund administrator at Northern Trust Switzerland AG.

Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com )

For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact:

KCCC Korfmann Corporate Communications Consulting AG  

Dr. Sabina Korfmann-Bodenmann

Managing Director

Zeltweg 40

8032 Zurich

T. +41 43 244 87 37

E. s.korfmann@kccc.ch  

Swiss Rockets AG

Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic

Chief Executive Officer

Rittergasse 3

4051 Basel

T. +41 61 561 54 21

E. vladimir.cmiljanovic@swissrockets.com

www.swissrockets.com

Source:  Swiss Rockets AG