NEW YORK AND MAIDENHEAD, UK, JUNE 28, 2018 - The Human Vaccines Project, a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on decoding the immune system to improve human health, and Seqirus, a global leader in the prevention of influenza, announced today that Seqirus is joining the Project's Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative (UIVI). Seqirus, owned by CSL Limited, has been on the front line of influenza vaccine development and pandemic preparedness for more than a century, pioneering new technologies for rapidly producing influenza vaccines.
"With a heritage dating back to the influenza pandemic of 1918, Seqirus is pleased to bring its expertise to the Project, working alongside the eminent research organizations already involved," said Russell Basser, MD, senior vice president of research and development at Seqirus. "Influenza remains one of our greatest global health threats and we are committed to collaborating with like-minded partners to advance understanding of the human response to influenza, and to discover new and innovative vaccine solutions."
Launched in late 2017, the UIVI is a collaboration of leading global organizations and partners working together to rapidly accelerate the development of a universal influenza vaccine that provides long-lasting protection against seasonal and pandemic influenza across demographics and geography. The Initiative fills a critical gap in influenza vaccine research today by focusing on how the immune system responds to and develops immunological protection against multiple strains of influenza. Research will be conducted using cutting-edge biomedical and machine learning technologies to develop models of the immune system. The models will be artificial intelligence-based, so they will get smarter over time, rapidly accelerating vaccine research.
"While there have been recent advances in the development of better influenza vaccines, we need to continue to work towards more transformational solutions that provide higher levels of protection against multiple strains of influenza for longer periods of time," said Wayne Koff, PhD, president and CEO of the Human Vaccines Project. "That's why we are pleased to collaborate with Seqirus, a leading innovator in influenza vaccines, as we expand our partnership with global stakeholders to accelerate the development of a more broadly protective influenza vaccine."
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About the Human Vaccines Project
The Human Vaccines Project is a nonprofit public-private partnership with a mission to decode the human immune system to accelerate the development of vaccines and immunotherapies against major global diseases. The Project brings together leading academic research centers, industrial partners, nonprofits and governments to address the primary scientific barriers to developing new vaccines and immunotherapies. Support and funders for the Project include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Michelson Medical Research Foundation, GSK, MedImmune, Illumina, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Pfizer, Moderna, Boehringer Ingelheim, Aeras, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Telethon Kids Institute, University of California San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, J. Craig Venter Institute and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. To learn more, visit http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org and follow @HumanVacProject on Twitter.
About Seqirus
Seqirus is part of CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The CSL Group of companies employs more than 20,000 people with operations in more than 60 countries. Seqirus was established in 2015 following CSL's acquisition of the Novartis influenza vaccines business and its subsequent integration with bioCSL. As one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, Seqirus is a major contributor to influenza prevention and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness and response.
Seqirus operates state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the UK and Australia, and manufactures influenza vaccines using both egg-based and cell-based technologies, as well as a proprietary adjuvant. It has leading R&D capabilities, a broad portfolio of differentiated products and a commercial presence in more than 20 countries. For more information visit http://www.seqirus.com and http://www.csl.com.
Media Contacts:
The Human Vaccines Project
Kierstin Coatney
Kierstin@gga.nyc
Seqirus
Becky Roberts
becky.roberts@bairdscmc.com