23 May 2013 - 23 May 2013 - US biotechnology group iBio Inc (NYSEMKT:IBIO) said yesterday an independent third party lab had produced a vaccine candidate for the H7N9 influenza virus, utilising its iBioLaunch platform.

The validation took 21 days as measured from initial antigen sequence information to purification of recombinant protein.

The iBioLaunch platform eliminates the need to culture cells under sterile conditions, removes uncertainty about yield consistency for large production volumes, and, subject to regulatory clearance, could deliver vaccine doses for emergency use against pandemic and bio-terrorism threats in weeks, the company noted.

So far, the platform has been used to produce vaccine-quality antigens related to influenza strains, such as H7N7, H5N1, H3N2, H1N1, and multiple strains of influenza B.