LEIDEN, The Netherlands, January 13 /PRNewswire/ --
- Commercial License to Accelerate Development of New Hemostasis Breakthrough Products
ProFibrix B.V., today announced that it has concluded a commercial license agreement with Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) for PER.C6(R), a unique human protein production platform. The PER.C6(R) platform allows ProFibrix to manufacture recombinant human fibrinogen at levels that support the development and commercial roll-out of new products. Fibrinogen is at the heart of all ProFibrix products and is an essential part of nature's own injury-repair mechanism. The company's lead product Fibrocaps(TM) is based on fibrinogen derived from human blood plasma and is a unique dry powder topical hemostat that stops acute and severe bleeding during surgery or after trauma injury. Initially recombinant fibrinogen will be developed for systemic applications in hemostasis and later on for the development of tissue repair products.
Jaap Koopman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, said: The PER.C6(R) license gives us access to a manufacturing platform that has already been successfully tested by ProFibrix for high expression of biologically active recombinant fibrinogen. Our Chief Technology Officer Dr. Bram Bout was one of the inventors of PER.C6(R) while at Crucell. His intimate knowledge of the platform in combination with our substantial in-house expertise on the biology of fibrinogen provides us with a strong competitive position in the hemostasis market.
Jan Ohrstrom, MD, Chief Operational Officer, said: We believe recombinant fibrinogen has the potential to become a breakthrough product in hemostasis and tissue repair. We intend to develop a systemic hemostat product based on recombinant fibrinogen to treat or prevent bleeding in patients with low fibrinogen levels.
About ProFibrix
ProFibrix was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Leiden, The Netherlands, with a subsidiary in Seattle, WA. The company leverages its expertise in fibrinogen technology to develop and market innovative products for the hemostasis and regenerative medicine markets. Human fibrinogen plays a pivotal role in blood clotting and tissue healing. ProFibrix is led by a team with extensive commercial, clinical and scientific experience in the hemostasis field. Fibrocaps, the company's lead product, is based on a mixture of fibrinogen and thrombin and is a unique dry powder topical tissue sealant that stops acute and severe bleeding after trauma injury or during surgery. Fibrocaps has major advantages over existing liquid tissue sealants: It is easier to prepare and use, is more stable and effective, and can be applied in various ways, including in sprays or bandages. To support the development of its pipeline, ProFibrix is establishing a recombinant fibrinogen production platform in human PER.C6(R) cells that is expected to go into GMP production in 2010.
ProFibrix B.V., Jaap Koopman, PhD, CEO, Tel: + 31(0)6-21628475, E-mail: j.koopman@profibrix.com; ProFibrix Inc., Jan Ohrstrom MD, COO, Tel: +1(0)2069105404, E-mail: j.ohrstrom@profibrix.com
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