Cobra Biomanufacturing - Battling a Global Epidemic

Forty million people in Africa, India and China are believed to be infected with the HIV virus. West Midlands-based Cobra Biomanufacturing plc is one of the world's leading contract manufacturers of DNA vaccines for HIV/AIDS. It is applying its ground breaking ORT DNA technology to the development of six separate vaccines, in collaboration with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (AIVI), Eurovac and the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative/Medical Research Council (SAAVI).

Cobra was one of the first companies in the world to manufacture DNA for clinical use and its experience in this field is unparalleled. The company pioneered Operator Repressor Titration (ORT), a clinically validated system, which avoids the use of antibiotics during biological manufacturing. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing problem and ORT eliminates the possibility of giving antibiotic-resistant genes to patients who are already susceptible to infection. ORT technology is being applied to all three AIDS programmes and initial results are encouraging. Certain individuals who are naturally immune to HIV infection produce high levels of immune cells called Cytotoxic-T-Lymphocytes (CTL), which recognise and destroy cells infected with HIV. Early clinical data on one of the IAVI/Cobra vaccines suggests that the DNA vaccine may be able to elicit a CTL response in the treated patients, which would hopefully result in the patients becoming immune to HIV infection. Clinical trials on this and other HIV DNA vaccines are continuing.

Cobra is also involved in developing other leading edge biotechnologies. The company has significant experience in the manufacture of viruses for clinical use. Because viruses invade cells, it is possible to subvert them to transfer genes or proteins into a cell for therapeutic purposes. Cobra is working alongside Australian pharmaceuticals company, Mayne Pharma, to develop an adenovirus-based treatment for prostate cancer, and with other companies worldwide in the development of virus-based therapies and vaccines.

Fifty percent of Cobra's business is the manufacture of proteins and, again, Cobra works with Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies worldwide in the manufacture of new therapeutics and vaccines for a variety of diseases. For example, a recent project, developed on behalf of Evolutec Ltd of Oxford UK for its treatment of allergic and inflammatory diseases is currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States of America.

Cobra is an international company, working with companies worldwide and with an office in Chicago USA. However, Cobra's UK location at Keele University Science Park is key to its future development plans. The company expects to expand rapidly to keep pace with demand - in the last year alone, for example, it expanded its microbial fermentation capacity four-fold and doubled virus production capacity. Director of Business Development, Andrew Lewin, believes Cobra is ideally placed to do that:

"There are plenty of available sites for expansion and land and personnel costs are extremely competitive."

With customers across five continents, the proximity of Birmingham and Manchester airports to Keele University Science Park is an important benefit and Andrew is also impressed by the loyalty and commitment of staff:

"We employ around 65 people, a significant proportion of whom are local. They are very attached to this region, which has enabled us to retain and develop qualified staff. The skills and abilities of our employees are absolutely integral to the quality of service that we provide to our customers and, therefore, to the future growth of our business."

Cobra is currently looking to invest and expand in the region and plans to continue its development as a major centre of Biomanufacturing in the UK. For more information about Cobra Biomanufacturing visit www.cobrabio.com.

Interview given by Andrew Lewin, Director of Business Development.