DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - May 13, 2015) - Vivione Biosciences Inc. ("Vivione") (TSX VENTURE: VBI), announced today the execution of an Option Agreement with the University of Rochester to gain exclusive worldwide rights to a novel biomarker for infectious disease-related diagnostics. This acquisition is one of many steps Vivione is taking to strategically position the company's entry into the clinical diagnostics market. Through the Option Agreement, Vivione will also have the ability to obtain exclusive worldwide rights to a therapeutic peptide targeting the same molecule identified by the biomarker. During the option period, Vivione will work with researchers at the University of Rochester in the Departments of Immunology and Pulmonology in order to expand upon existing data in clinical patient populations.
Matthew Gombrich, Chief Medical Officer at Vivione said, "Published data in the journal, Blood, (as well as non-published internal data at the University of Rochester) points to overexpression of this biomarker as being an excellent indicator to help clinicians define a population of patients with increasing toxicity related to infectious disease. The added prospect of combining the therapeutic peptide, which showed a dramatic improvement in mortality in animal models, with the diagnostic test, offers an incredible opportunity for the company to address the needs of critically ill patients. The fact that we will be able to develop a combined theranostic application will only strengthen our position as we begin moving through the clinical regulatory process."
Vivione's Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Kuykendall, said, "We continue to position our RAPID-B flow cytometric platform as a viable solution in clinical microbiology for use in pathology labs aiding in the rapid detection of serious infections. The addition of the University of Rochester's biomarker on our platform could be the catalyst that launches Vivione as a leader in infectious disease diagnostics. We could not have found a better partner to help us in expanding our clinical assays than the University of Rochester. Their commitment to excellence and their willingness to provide the clinical research needed to expand the patient population data gives us the confidence necessary to move this test into our clinical pipeline and establish Vivione as a leader in the multi-billion dollar infectious disease market."
Scott Catlin, Associate Vice President for Technology Commercialization at UR Ventures, added, "The University of Rochester is pleased to partner with Vivione Biosciences. We hope this collaboration will lead to earlier detection and more effective treatment of deadly infections."
About Vivione
Formed in 2006 in collaboration with the FDA, Vivione is a TSX Venture Exchange listed biosciences company focused on the commercialization of its proprietary RAPID-B system, an integrated system of hardware, software and chemical reagents that quickly and accurately identifies, quantifies and qualifies bacteria and other pathogens in food safety, bio-therapeutics, clinical, industrial and oil & gas environments. For more information, visit www.VivioneBiosciences.com.
About University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is one of the country's top-tier research universities. Since 1921, the Medical Center forms the centerpiece of the University's health research, teaching, patient care, and community outreach missions. Researchers at URMC have developed a host of life-saving technologies, including a vaccine that has virtually eliminated pneumococcal meningitis from the developed world. The University's motto is "Meliora!", meaning "ever better," and our world-class researchers embody this ideal every day as they attempt to tease out treatments for various afflictions such as Alzheimer's, HIV, and diabetes. For more information, visit www.rochester.edu.
Cautionary Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although Vivione believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information to Vivione. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. This news release contains forward-looking information relating to the commercialization and the development of the RAPID-B system, Vivione's business and growth strategy. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Vivione does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Vivione undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Vivione, or its financial or operating results or (as applicable), their securities.
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