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LONDON (Alliance News) - Frontier IP Group PLC on Wednesday said Vaccine Group is to be a major partner in a USD9.7 million US government project to develop vaccines against diseases that can pass from animals to humans.
IP group works with UK universities in the creation and development of intellectual property-based companies. Vaccine Group is one of Frontier IP's portfolio companies and is a spin-out of the University of Plymouth. IP Group holds a 19% stake in Vaccine Group.
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded the funds for the project, the goal of which is "to protect US military forces and homeland from Ebola, Lassa fever and other deadly zoonotic viruses that jump from animals to humans". These types of viruses are also known as zoonotic viruses.
The goal of the US agency project is to predict where these kinds of viruses could come from and stop them spreading to humans. One Health Institute and the Center for Comparative Medicine, both at UC Davis, are leading the three and a half year project.
Vaccine Group's role will be to develop vaccine technologies for the vaccination of "remote and hard-to-reach wildlife animal populations" known to harbour zoonotic viruses.
"We are very excited our portfolio company Vaccine Group and its unique technology has such an important part in a project that could result in a breakthrough in how potential pandemics are prevented," said Frontier IP Chief Executive Neil Crabb.
Shares in Frontier IP were up 3.8% at 88.71 pence on Wednesday.