Coridon developing next-gen HPV vaccine

Queensland-based biotech Coridon has commenced development of a new combined HPV vaccine and treatment.

The new vaccine will be based on preliminary work by professor Ian Frazer, Coridon’s founder and the chairman of the University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute, and his team. This research also serves as the basis for existing HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix.

Announcing the development, Allied Healthcare – which owns a major stake in Coridon – said the latest vaccine will have a therapeutic edge.

The new vaccine will be being designed to both combat existing HPV virus infection, and to prevent and treat cervical and other HPV-linked cancers, Allied Healthcare MD Lee Rodne said.

“The work by Professor Frazer’s team at Coridon has significant potential globally to treat those patients already infected with the virus, something the current vaccines cannot do,” Rodne said.

The latest vaccine will be tested in pre-clinical models in collaboration with the Diamantina Institute.

HPV is one of the most common STDs in the world, with an estimated 26.8% of the female population infected. Cervical cancer is meanwhile the second largest cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide.

Coridon is also working on a DNA vaccine against herpes, and in October last year published the results of pre-clinical trials indicating 100% effectiveness in protecting animals from the disease.

Allied Healthcare Group (ASX:AHZ) shares grew 10.34% in Tuesday's trading after the company revealed that Coridon was developing the vaccine.