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Canadian company Microbix showcases vaccine yield enhancement discovery at world's largest conference on influenza
Canadian company Microbix showcases vaccine yield enhancement discovery at world's largest conference on influenza.
About this update from Microbix Biosystems Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\nTORONTO, June 18 /CNW/ - With the largest international conference on\ninfluenza getting underway in Toronto today, Microbix Biosystems Inc. of\nToronto is anticipating that its flu vaccine yield enhancement discovery will\nbe the subject of some considerable interest among the 1,500 delegates from\nall over the world.\n\n\nMicrobix announced late last month that the U.S. Patent Office has\nindicated that it intends to issue a patent to the company on this technology.\nAs well, Microbix' discovery was recently reported in Vaccine, an\ninternational, peer-reviewed scientific journal.\n\n\n"There has already been a lot of interest expressed as a result of our\nannouncement last month, and we're looking forward to talking with vaccine\nmanufacturers, public health officials and government representatives at the\nconference," said Microbix CEO William J. Gastle.\n\n\nDelegates attending Options for the Control of Influenza at the Metro\nToronto Convention Centre, June 18-22, are leaders in the control, prevention,\ndiagnosis, and treatment of influenza.\n\n\nMicrobix' technology significantly boosts influenza vaccine production\noutput. As a result of this discovery, there is now a relatively fast, simple,\nand cost-effective way to potentially double the amount of flu vaccine\nmanufactured each year. The discovery has enormous implications for defending\nthe human population from the next deadly outbreak of influenza.\n\n\nThe World Health Organization, in its Global Vaccine Action Plan, noted\nthat if an influenza pandemic were to occur, the potential vaccine supply\nwould fall far short of the amount needed. Annual global flu vaccine\nproduction capacity is currently about 350 million doses. Among all the\nstrategies outlined in the WHO's Action Plan, increased production yields was\nidentified as "the most direct mechanism to make more doses available." The\nMicrobix process, if adopted worldwide, would increase capacity to at least\n700 million doses.\n\n\nThe Microbix technology has been validated in independent testing. A\nstudy led by Dr. Todd Hatchette, Director of Virology and Immunology at the\nQueen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, confirmed that the\nprocess doubled the amount of virus recovered.\n\n\nGastle noted that the company's yield enhancement technology can be\nimplemen...