Centegen Inc. has granted Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga., an exclusive license for its staphylococcal vaccine for veterinary applications. Merial will develop and globally commercialize the CEN-102 vaccine, which is designed to reduce staphylococcal infections in ruminant animals. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but include license fees, milestone payments and tiered royalties on sales. “Staphylococci are one of the most prevalent causes of bovine mastitis that have eluded the development of effective vaccines so far,” said Frank Milward, DVM, head of Merial’s North America BioDevelopment. “We look forward to developing this vaccine further for this indication.” CEN-102 elicits potent antigen-specific T-cell and B-cell responses not present in unvaccinated animals, according to Centegen. The vaccine aims to protect against spontaneous staphylococcal infections, reduce the need for antibiotic use and significantly improve milk quality. The vaccine incorporates an antigen expressed on the cell surface throughout the entire life-cycle of all tested strains and species of staphylococci, according to the company. Centegen exclusively licensed the underlying intellectual property, in part, from the University of California, Davis. The Baltimore-based company said it will now focus on finding a development partner for human applications of the CEN-102 vaccine. <Home>
