PREVENT

Presenter: Gerry Brown, Director, Commercialization

Company Profile

The Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise Inc. (PREVENT) is a National Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) funded by the Federal NCE Program ($15 million), with in-kind support of $10.5 million from its three partners - the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) in Saskatoon, the BC Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver (UBC-CDC), and the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV) (a partnership among Dalhousie University, the IWK Health Centre and Capital Health) in Halifax.
PREVENT bridges the development gap for promising early-stage vaccine candidates taking proof-of-concept technologies through preclinical and Phase I clinical stages. Given its financial support, and the breadth of expertise provided by management and its partner organizations, PREVENT is well positioned to accelerate the development of potential products, and to significantly reduce the investment and commercialization risks associated with research-to-product transitions. PREVENT works with public health officials to identify vaccine-preventable disease issues, and then works with industry partners to advance vaccine candidates to the marketplace. The PREVENT business model of linking expertise with government, non-governmental and private sector partners for vaccine development is a perfect example of how business and science can work together to harness each other's strengths.
There has been a longstanding need for an organization like PREVENT that will take advanced vaccine discoveries of public health importance to the stage where the financial risk to industry is mitigated. PREVENT bridges the development gap which has limited promising Canadian vaccine technologies. In addition, this not-for-profit company, in helping to speed vaccine candidates toward commercial products, builds and develops national biotechnology clusters that stimulate new private sector investment in vaccines and lead to the creation of new companies. While no single institution can do everything in today's highly sophisticated world of vaccine development, PREVENT has created a pipeline that links the institutions with the public sector, private sector and non-governmental partners to enable a discovery to travel from the bench to the bedside for the benefit of all Canadians.

Company Strategy

PREVENT identifies promising, preferably Canadian, vaccine candidates with IP rights and convincing proof-of-concept data that target Canadian disease issues. Technologies are licensed-in and its team of in-house experts, coupled with the expertise of its partner organizations, manages and funds pre-clinical and Phase I clinical development. Continued development will involve partnering with investor or receptor organizations, with sustainability achieved through licensing fees, milestone payments and royalty streams.

Intellectual Property

Licenses have been acquired for vaccines targeting a number of misfolded protein diseases, and are under negotiation for a number of infectious disease targets.

Programs

Four candidate projects have been approved by the Board for further development.

Investors

PREVENTs primary investor is Industry Canada through its National Centres of Excellence and the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research programs. Partner organizations including the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and the Canadian Center for Vaccinology provide tangible in-kind services and support.

Management Team

Dr. Lorne Babiuk, Chair of the Board of Directors
Dr. Andrew Potter, President and CEO
Dr. Gerry Brown, Director of Commercialization
Dr. Luis Martin, Director of Product Development
Mr. Peter Yim, Director of Outreach and Partnerships
Ms. Carol Martel, CFO (VIDO)
Ms. Joyce Sanders, Human Resources (VIDO)
Dr. Paul Hodgson, Board Secretary & Business Development (VIDO)

Presenter Bio

As PREVENTs Director of Commercialization, Dr. Brown has significant input into the selection and development of promising vaccine technologies as well as down-stream commercialization activities. He was originally trained in cell biology, physiology & immunology, and molecular biology and has extensive experience with intellectual property and new product development within a broad range of corporate environments. These include small biotech companies, large multinationals, a provincial government agency, and most recently this not-for-profit National Centre of Excellence. He has an understanding of and appreciation for cultures and interrelationships within small, fast, entrepreneurial settings; larger, more conservative multinational organizations; and government agencies including those involved in regulatory activities. Dr. Brown currently also sits on the Board of Directors of Genome Prairie.

Contact

PREVENT
120 Veterinary Rd.,
Saskatoon
SK, Canada
S7N 5E3

ph: 306-966-1506
fx: 306-966-7478

www.prevent-cecr.ca
gerry.brown@usask.ca

April 6-8, 2010