Cobra Biologics Is Proud To Be Part Of A Consortium To Rapidly Develop A COVID-19 Vaccine

• ChAdOx1 consortium, led by the Jenner Institute, working to produce adenoviral vaccine
• Fast-tracked clinical trials of ChAdOx1 to begin in April 2020

Cobra Biologics (Cobra), an international CDMO for biologics and pharmaceuticals, today announced it is working as part of a consortium led by the Jenner Institute, Oxford University to rapidly develop, scale-up and produce the potential adenoviral vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (ChAdOx1), for fast-tracked clinical trials for COVID-19. ChAdOx1, is one of five frontrunner vaccines in development around the world, and expected to be the UK’s first COVID-19 vaccine. The ChAdOx1 consortium includes the University of Oxford Jenner Institute, University of Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), Advent Srl, Pall Life Sciences, Cobra Biologics and Halix BV.

The ChAdOx1 consortium is currently recruiting individuals from a range of ages in the UK to trial the vaccine’s efficacy, in April 2020 – a crucial step in the vaccine’s development. Cobra is actively planning for a fast set-up phase to facilitate the efficient production of a GMP working cell bank and then 200L GMP viral vaccine. The consortium partners expect to develop and manufacture the vaccine candidate in multiple batches, to support a 1million dose scale batch size, by summer 2020.

Developed at the Jenner Institute, ChAdOx1 is one of the most promising vaccine technologies for COVID-19 as it can generate a strong immune response from one dose. The vaccine candidate allows it to be given safely to vulnerable members of the public, including children, the elderly and those with a pre-existing condition, such as diabetes.

Peter Coleman, Chief Executive at Cobra Biologics, said: “The organisations within the consortium led by the Jenner Institute are experts from across industry and academia, with the experience, capability and conviction to deliver a successful outcome. Cobra is privileged to have been invited to participate and contribute to the fight against COVID-19, as this virus continues to impact the globe exponentially.”

About Cobra Biologics
Cobra Biologics is a leading international contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) providing biologics and pharmaceuticals for pre-clinical, clinical and commercial supply to an international customer base.

Each of Cobra’s GMP approved facilities are tailored to serving our customers around the world. We offer a broad range of integrated and stand-alone contract development and manufacturing services for clinical trials and the commercial market.

As a trusted provider and a key partner in the drug development and commercialisation process, we take pride in our manufacturing excellence and comprehensive range of services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. For more information, visit www.cobrabio.com

About The ChAdOx1 Programme
This collaborative project receives funding from the rapid research response funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and by the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR have also provided funding for the set-up of the project through the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The study has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) as part of an urgent call to expand the number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. Funding has also been received from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Science (CIFMS). The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’ (Principal Investigator Prof. S. S. Vasan) is led by Australia’s science agency CSIRO for ‘High Containment Studies to Support Product Development’ for CEPI.

Preclinical testing of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is being conducted in collaboration with the consortium’s partners: Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIH/NIAID); The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’; Public Health England; The Pirbright Institute; Prof. Dr. Stephen Becker at the Institut für Virologie, Philipps University, Marburg. Manufacturing is being conducted in collaboration with Prof. Catherine Green and the University of Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (Oxford), Advent Srl (Italy), Pall Biotech (Portsmouth), Cobra Biologics (Staffordshire), and Halix BV (Netherlands). For more information, visit https://www.covid19vaccinetrial.co.uk/sponsors-and-partners.