PR92852

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

EpiVax, Inc. ("EpiVax") is pleased to announce an important commercial

licensing agreement with Maruho Co., Ltd. ("Maruho") for EpiVax's patented

Tregitope technology. This marks an exciting step for Maruho and EpiVax towards

continued expansion of the Tregitope program and translation to the clinic.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/542055/EpiVax_Logo.jpg

Tregitopes are immune-modulating peptides derived from human immunoglobulin.

Tregitopes were first discovered in 2008 (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3346544-1&h=3426623653&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC2569179%2F&a=discovered+in+2008) by EpiVax co-founders Dr. Anne De Groot and William Martin. EpiVax has since

validated many more Tregitopes and has developed a strong Tregitope patent

estate. With a wide range of therapeutic applications, Tregitopes can be

co-formulated or fused to proteins to induce antigen-specific tolerance. EpiVax

is currently licensing Tregitope for additional indications with commercial and

academic partners. More information on the EpiVax Tregitope Platform is

available here (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3346544-1&h=792489206&u=https%3A%2F%2Fepivax.com%2Fpipeline%2Ftregitope-immunomodulation-power-tool&a=More+information+on+the+EpiVax+Tregitope+Platform+is+available+here.).

Similar to intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) therapy, Tregitopes engage

regulatory T cells and downregulate inflammation in a wide range of disease

models. This mechanism of action has been studied in academic collaborations at

McGill University (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3346544-1&h=1768424607&u=https%3A%2F%2Fepivax.com%2Fnews%2Fepivax-demonstrates-antigen-specific-tolerance-induction-in-allergy-with-tregitopes-results-published-in-frontiers-in-immunology&a=McGill+University), Harvard Medical School (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3346544-1&h=3296300342&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0198885914004777%3Fvia%253Dihub&a=Harvard+Medical+School), and

undisclosed commercial partners (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3346544-1&h=3057201898&u=https%3A%2F%2Fepivax.com%2Ffeatured%2Ftregitope-takes-a-step-toward-the-clinic&a=undisclosed+commercial+partners).

There have been many peer-reviewed publications on the Tregitope platform in

recent years. A full list can be found here (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3346544-1&h=1208391680&u=https%3A%2F%2Fepivax.com%2Fpipeline%2Ftregitope-immunomodulation-power-tool%2Ftregitope-publications&a=A+full+list+can+be+found+here).

Maruho will be able to leverage their Tregitope license to enhance their

in-house therapeutic development strategies for autoimmune conditions. Annie De

Groot MD, CEO/CSO of EpiVax, said, "This agreement reflects the potential for

Tregitopes, natural Treg epitopes that help regulate immune responses, to be

used for the treatment of conditions that afflict patients around the world".

About EpiVax:

EpiVax is a biotechnology company with expertise in T cell epitope prediction,

immune modulation, and rapid vaccine design. EpiVax's immunogenicity screening

toolkits for therapeutics and vaccines, ISPRI and iVAX, are employed in

advancing the research of a global roster of companies.

For more information about EpiVax, visit www.epivax.com.

About Maruho Co., Ltd.:

Maruho Co., Ltd. has its headquarters in Osaka and leads Japan in research and

development, manufacturing and commercialization of dermatological products.

Maruho is striving to improve the health and quality of life of people all over

the world.

For more information, please visit https://www.maruho.co.jp/english/

For more information on Tregitope and licensing opportunities please contact us

here (https://epivax.com/about-us/contact-us ).

Press Contact:

Katie Porter, Business Development Manager

EpiVax

kporter@epivax.com

SOURCE: EpiVax Inc.