Meridian Life Science Wins Second SBIR II Contract For Developing Rotavirus Vaccine
By C. Rajan, contributing writer
Tennessee-based life science company, Meridian Life Science (MLS), has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a process to manufacture a rotavirus vaccine.
The SBIR contract will focus on process development of the vaccine manufacturing. The funds will be used for optimization of growth and yield of the virus, developing a purification process, formulation and inactivation of the vaccine, followed by filling of the vaccine.
A subsidiary of Meridian Bioscience, MLS manufactures vaccines and challenge stocks on a contract basis. MLS was awarded an initial SBIR I contract in October 2013 for the preliminary research and development of the vaccine. This SBIR II contract will fund the next stage of the vaccine development, a 15 month research and development program for the scale up and manufacture of the vaccine for use in clinical trials.
Dr. Victor Van Cleave, VP of R&D at Meridian Life Science said, "Meridian is pleased to have been selected by the CDC to receive this SBIR II award and appreciate the CDC's continued confidence in our ability to deliver a novel process for rotavirus vaccine production. Rotavirus is a serious problem globally for infants and we feel honored to be a part of this program to assist in the eradication of this challenging health issue.
"The project is an excellent fit for Meridian's core virology and virus-based product manufacturing capabilities. The earlier SBIR I award from the CDC set the stage for this latest stage of development and our scientists are proud to be a part of an effort that could significantly reduce the incidence and severity of rotavirus infections in children."
Rotavirus is a major cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and children, which causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Children with the rotavirus disease have severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. The rotavirus disease causes over 500,000 deaths every year in young children.
There are several different strains of rotavirus, and children can suffer from multiple infections from different strains. There are already two rotavirus vaccines available for infants (RotaTeq (RV5) and Rotarix (RV1)) that address two different virus strains.