Charleroi, Belgium — Delphi Genetics SA (“Delphi”) has announced today the signature of a licensing agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the use of the patented StabyExpress technology for the production of protein vaccines for human use.

The StabyExpress system improves the efficiency of protein production and offers the potential of increased protein yield in the manufacture of recombinant vaccines, without the use of antibiotics, whilst reducing the environmental impact. Any proteins manufactured using the StabyExpress system are therefore free of trace levels of antibiotics.

This agreement enables GSK to use, non-exclusively, the technology for the production of vaccine proteins for human use. In exchange for this right of use, Delphi Genetics will receive payments at each development stage of a new protein and will also receive royalties during the marketing phase. The financial details of the agreement have not been revealed.

Philippe Gabant PhD, Delphi Genetics Founder and Business Development Director, explained: “This is the second licensing agreement that we have announced with one of the major vaccine manufacturers. This demonstrates that our technology gives a competitive edge to our biopharmaceutical production partners and shows the importance of our technology in the bioindustrial world. The non-exclusive nature of this licence enables us to consider similar collaborations with other strategic partners, including partners in other fields than vaccine production”.

In June 2010, Delphi Genetics announced a licensing agreement with Sanofi-Pasteur, the human vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis. That agreement allows Sanofi-Pasteur to implement the StabyExpress technology in its recombinant vaccine production and therefore to be able to produce efficiently without the use of antibiotics.