GTC Biotherapeutics (fka GTCB)

[ThomasS]

Viragen reports expression breakthrough using OVA system for therapeutic protein production

Viragen (VRA) and its collaborative partners in the field of avian transgenics, Roslin Institute and Oxford Biomedica, announce a significant breakthrough in the development of the O.V.A System, resulting in a more efficient bio-manufacturing platform for the cost- effective production of human therapeutic proteins. VRA reported that its researchers in Scotland and its collaborators at Roslin Institute were able to significantly increase expression levels of interferon alpha-2a, a human protein often prescribed for the treatment of hepatitis C and certain malignant diseases, by at least 10-fold over previously reported results. The high quantities of active protein now being recovered from these transgenic hens' eggs builds a compelling case for using the O.V.A System as a primary manufacturing system. Additional protein drug candidates will be evaluated in confirmatory studies.