Microbix Biosystems Inc.

341 Bering Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M8Z 3A8
Canada
Toll free: 1-800-794-6694 (North America)

Phone: +1-416-234-1624
Fax: +1-416-234-1626
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Please notice: This entry hasn't been updated by the submitting company for more than 2 years. It could be possible that this company doesn't longer exists.

Description:

Microbix Biosystems, Inc. develops and manufactures biological products derived primarily from mammalian cell cultures. Our focus technologies include biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and diagnostic reagents. At our core is a team of development and manufacturing staff with significant expertise in cell culture and purification and has established itself as an internationally recognized source of infectious disease antigens and other specialty biological products. Our products are designed for three main markets: biotherapeutics, vaccines and non-therapeutic biologics.

Currently, antigens are Microbix' major commercial product and Microbix produces some 40 antigen preparations derived form 19 different organisms. We are a valued supplier to many of the largest diagnostic manufacturers around the world. Current antigens include: Rubella, Toxoplasma, Dengue, Hepatitis, Varicella-Zoster, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia, CMV, and EBV

With a view to developing large market opportunity products, Microbix identified the emerging market for generic biotherapeutics as a significant opportunity for growth. We selected the protein drug urokinase as our first candidate for development as a generic. In 1994 began development of a tissue-culture-derived version of urokinase, later named Thromboclear™. Within twelve months Microbix had demonstrated to its satisfaction that laboratory-scale production of Thromboclear™ was feasible. Since then, we have overcome many of the major technical hurdles associated with the commercial production of generic urokinase. Our next key milestone is submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application to the United States Food and Drug Administration. Microbix anticipates that Thromboclear™ will be the first tissue culture derived generic drug licensed in the United States. We have a significant pipeline of generic biotherapeutics planned and in development and expect to emerge as a leader in this exciting field.

Our core technology in virology has lead to our second large market opportunity in the influenza vaccine area. Microbix has discovered, developed and submitted patent applications covering a technology that can dramatically enhance the yield of virus grown in eggs. This technology has direct implications to commercial influenza vaccine production. We are currently working with non-commercial entities to confirm the efficacy of the technology originally proven in our own laboratories as well as commercial vaccine manufacturer evaluations.

Our third large market opportunity has been announced in October, 2005. Through a friendly acquisition of Sequent technologies Inc. after several months of investigation and due diligence, Microbix now has a novel technology to separate sperm for the commercial artificial insemination industry for dairy, beef and swine. This multi-billion dollar industry has coined this technology as the potential “holy grail”. One clear example of the benefits comes from the dairy industry where female calves are preferred over males for obvious reasons.

Microbix is also developing wildlife and domestic rabies vaccines using adenovirus technology, licensed from McMaster University. Both vaccines are based on live adenovirus modified to carry a gene for a rabies protein. The protein, which is not infectious and cannot cause rabies, is produced in large quantities when the recombinant adenovirus infects the animal being immunized. The animal's immune system makes antibodies against the protein, which protect it from infection by rabies virus. Our adenovirus rabies vaccines are expected to be safer than other vaccines because they do not contain any live rabies and the adenovirus strain used in the vaccines is not expected to cause disease in animals.

Microbix concentrates on the development and manufacture of bulk biological products and, other than its core specialty biologicals business, pursues the commercialization of its products through licensing relationships with partners. These licensing relationships typically provide us with development funding and ensure that our products will be commercialized by partners with appropriate expertise and resources to perform the final packaging, marketing, sales and distribution. Microbix generally retains bulk manufacturing rights and receives royalties on sales.

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Last update of this entry: October 27, 2005