Bio-Bridge in Chinese vaccine accord

US firm Bio-Bridge Science has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, a leading medical research institute in China, to research and develop a human papillomavirus polyvalent vaccine using prokaryotic expression system. This vaccine is designed to prevent infection by human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 45, and 58, which is expected to provide broader protection than the current vaccine in the market and have much lower production costs. Under the agreement, Bio-Bridge has been granted the preferential right to develop the vaccine and has a 60% interest in the project.

Liang Qiao, chief executive of Bio-Bridge said: "we believe that our agreement with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences will enable us to solidify our research capability in China as we try to introduce more potential vaccine products in addition to our current vaccine pipeline. The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences is a renowned medical research institute and is the national level medical science research center in China. We believe this cooperation will provide numerous benefits to both parties."