Products
ChronVac-C®
ChronVac-C® is the project name for a therapeutic vaccine against chronic hepatitis C infection (jaundice). The objective is to develop a vaccine on the basis of Tripep's proprietary vaccine gene. The vaccine is primarily intended for use on people already infected with HCV. In January 2006, Tripep was able to report that it had entered a collaboration agreement with San Diego-based company Inovio on the joint development of ChronVac-C®. Inovio has developed a unique technology called in vivo electroporation, which greatly enhances the effect of the DNA vaccine. In December 2006, Tripep applied for Ethical Committee and Swedish Medical Products approval to start a phase I trial on ChronVac-C®, administered on 18 healthy volunteers with Inovio's Medpulser® DNA Delivery System (DDS). The main purpose of the study is to determine safety, but it will also indicate how strong an immune response the different dose levels will activate.
ChronSeal
ChronSeal is a gel containing human hepatopoietin (Hepatocyte Growth Factor, HGF), which plays a key role in wound-healing. This is a new biological therapy method that creates new opportunities for slow-healing ulcers, particularly venous leg ulcers and diabetic ulcers. The treatment method has been successfully tested on patients with chronic leg ulcers. It is based on the discovery that normal HGF is defective in many slow-healing ulcers, and is thus not active in the patient. By providing the patient with active HGF in combination with suitable antibiotics, it is possible to restore the cellular balance and promote the wound-healing process. HGF can be industrially produced from plasma, but also synthetically. Combination therapy with antibiotics is necessary, because wound bacteria can metabolise HGF.
RAS® Re-directing Antibody Specificity
The RAS® project includes activities mainly relating to HIV, where RAS® molecules function as adapters, redirecting naturally inherent antibodies so they can neutralize HIV. Tripep has now produced HIV-binding peptides coupled to a sugar structure, Galalpha1,3- Gal, which everybody has antibodies against, and are now being tested for inhibiting HIV. Preliminary studies in test tubes are showing promising results.