CBF Cobra Bio-Man.

RNS Number:3651S
Cobra Bio-Manufacturing PLC
06 March 2007


For Immediate Release                                            6 March 2007



                           Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc



         Cobra joins international consortium to develop oral vaccines





Keele, UK, 6 March 2007  - UK-based Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc (AIM: CBF), today
announces its involvement in a consortium formed to develop a new vaccine
delivery system based on live bacterial spores. This is funded from a European
Union Sixth Framework grant, coordinated by the Royal Holloway - University of
London, and includes international experts in immunology and vaccine
development.



Spores of the harmless gut bacterium Bacillus subtilis are already taken orally
as a probiotic to aid digestive health. The research programme will involve
genetically engineered spores to express vaccine determinants on their coat.
Such spores are able to survive ingestion, and can therefore deliver the vaccine
to the immune system of the gut and induce immunity. Spores are very stable and
do not require cold storage, and the oral delivery will avoid the problems
associated with needles, making this technology particularly valuable in
developing countries.



The initial disease targets will be malaria and tuberculosis, which kill
millions of people annually, but the spore-based approach represents a platform
technology to deliver vaccines against a wide range of diseases.





David Thatcher, Chief Executive of Cobra Biomanufacturing, commented:

"This consortium brings together creative science from around the world
including, UK, Germany, Italy, Austria and Vietnam with the aim of applying
modern genetic techniques to develop cheap effective oral vaccines. Cobra is
delighted to be collaborating on this innovative project which along with
Cobra's proprietary ORT-VAC technology reinforces Cobra's position at the
forefront of oral vaccine research."





                                     -Ends-



For further information:
Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc                             Tel: 44 (0) 1782 714 181
David Thatcher, Chief Executive

Buchanan Communications                                Tel: 44 (0) 207 466 5000
Tim Anderson/Mark Court/Rebecca Dietrich

Northbank Communications                               Tel: 44 (0) 1260 296 5000
Gemma Bradley







About Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc

Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc is a leading international manufacturer of
biopharmaceuticals to the lifescience industry. Founded in 1992, Cobra provides
innovative manufacturing solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry covering
DNA, virus, cellular therapeutics and recombinant protein products. Cobra was
the first company to develop GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standard DNA
manufacture in Europe, with specific expertise in DNA medicines. A range of
unique, patented technologies, underpins this revenue generating business.



Cobra floated on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in June 2002
raising #7 million and raised a further #5.2 million in May 2003 in order to
further expand capacity in Oxford UK. For further information, please go to
www.cobrabio.com.



About ORT-VAC

ORT-VAC is a system for oral delivery of a vaccine that exploits the use of live
bacteria that have been attenuated so they do not cause disease. The ORT-VAC
strains are uniquely able to stably maintain hundreds of copies of circular DNA
molecules called plasmids, which contain gene coding for the active principle of
vaccines called antigens. The efficacy of DNA vaccines depend on getting as much
of the antigen gene as possible to appropriate cells of the immune system in
order to provoke an immune response - a task that ORT-VAC strains are ideally
suited to perform. There is a significant advantage in replacing needles with an
oral vaccine pill for improved safety and ease of delivery, particularly in
developing countries where vaccination programmes are difficult to coordinate.










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