- Vicebio enters the second stage of its Phase 1 Clinical
Study of its lead candidate VXB-241
- The Clinical Study, an actively controlled Proof of Concept
Phase 1 conducted in target population aged 60+, is progressing as
planned with initial data expected by mid-2025
- Moncef Slaoui, former Chief
Scientific Advisor of Operation Warp Speed & former Chair of
R&D at GlaxoSmithKline and Khurem Farooq,
previously CEO of Aiolos, join Board of Directors
LONDON,
Nov. 21,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vicebio Ltd ("Vicebio"), a
biopharmaceutical company pioneering next-generation vaccines for
life-threatening respiratory viruses, today announces its progress
in the ongoing VXB-241 bivalent RSV-hMPV Phase 1 (P1) study as
well as the appointment of Moncef
Slaoui, PhD, and Khurem Farooq to its Board of
Directors.
Vicebio is progressing into the second stage of
its clinical study of VXB-241 and is now enrolling individuals aged
60 years of age and above to evaluate the candidate vaccine's
safety in this vulnerable population. Early data from the study are
expected by mid-2025. Vicebio anticipates these data will represent
a significant milestone in the clinical validation of its platform.
More information on the P1 study can be found on clinicaltrials.gov
(NCT06556147).
Moncef Slaoui,
PhD, and Khurem Farooq join the Board of Directors, effective
immediately. Both bring vast experience in vaccine development and
biopharmaceutical leadership.
Emmanuel Hanon,
Chief Executive Officer of Vicebio, said: "In connection
with our significant Series B financing, we are building upon our
world-class leadership team with the addition of Moncef and Khurem
to the Board. Their expertise not only further supports our
innovation but will be essential as we continue to advance the
Company's vision to deliver the next generation of respiratory
viral vaccines."
At the heart of Vicebio's innovation is its
proprietary Molecular Clamp technology, designed to stabilise viral
antigens and enhance protective immunity across multiple
respiratory pathogens. This transformative technology supports the
development of multivalent respiratory viral vaccines that are
ready-to-use, cost-effective, and capable of addressing critical
needs in global respiratory health.
Moncef
Slaoui, PhD, newly appointed Independent Board Member
at Vicebio, commented: "Vicebio's Molecular Clamp technology
marks a transformative advancement in vaccine development. It is
fantastic to be joining the Board of a company where the technology
and novel approach holds the potential to expedite delivery of
highly effective and stable vaccines in ready-to-use prefilled
syringes."
Khurem Farooq, newly appointed Independent
Board Member at Vicebio, added: "Vicebio is at an exciting
phase of growth as it looks to advance its pipeline of multivalent
vaccines with the potential to prevent a wide range of diseases in
a single vaccine."
Moncef
Slaoui, PhD, has extensive experience in drug
development and commercialisation. He currently serves as an
advisor to Medicxi and is on the Board of Directors of several
companies including Arcturus Therapeutics, Altesa, and Zephyr AI.
Under his leadership as Chief Scientific Advisor to Operation Warp
Speed, he played a critical role in the rapid development and
deployment of multiple of COVID-19 vaccines in the US. Prior to
this Moncef's career at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) spanned nearly three
decades, where he held several senior leadership roles, including
being a member of the Board of Directors. He spearheaded GSK's
Pharmaceutical R&D restructuring to improve focus on innovation
and productivity, and was instrumental in the development of 14 new
vaccines, including Shingrix, to prevent shingles; Cervarix, to
prevent cervical cancer and Mosquirix, to prevent malaria. Moncef
earned a PhD in Molecular Biology and Immunology from the
Université Libre de Bruxelles and
completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard
Medical School and Tufts
University. He also holds an accelerated MBA from IMD in
Switzerland.
Khurem Farooq is an avid biotech
entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in drug development.
Khurem was co-founder and CEO of Aiolos Bio, which was acquired by
GSK for $1.4bn in February 2024. Prior to this, Khurem served as
CEO of Gyroscope, which was acquired by Novartis in 2021 for up to
$1.5bn. Khurem was Senior Vice
President of the Immunology and Ophthalmology business unit at
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, where he played a key role
in the commercialisation and launch strategies of several medicines
and contributed to the development of numerous pipeline
products. He holds an MBA and a BSc in Biological Sciences,
with honours, from Aston University and University of Wolverhampton, respectively.
About Vicebio
Vicebio is focused
on developing next-generation respiratory virus vaccines using the
Molecular Clamp technology. The Company was founded with investment
from Medicxi and acquired the rights to the Molecular
Clamp technology through a license from UniQuest, the
commercialization arm of The University of
Queensland, Australia. This proprietary technology was
developed by Prof. Paul Young, Prof.
Daniel Watterson, and Prof. Keith Chappell
at UQ.
Vicebio is backed by a global syndicate of life
science investors including Medicxi, UniQuest TCGX, Goldman Sachs
Alternatives, Avoro Ventures and venBio. For more information,
please visit: www.vicebio.com
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SOURCE Vicebio