German company Cevec Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement with Newlink Genetics for the use of its CAPGT and CAPGo cell lines in the development and commercialisation of products to treat Zika virus infections.

Under the agreement, Newlink Genetics and its affiliates will get the rights from Cevec to research, develop, manufacture and commercialise Zika vaccine candidates derived from the two cell lines.

Cevec CEO Frank Ubags said: “The joint agreement is a strong endorsement of our CAP system and represents another important step towards establishing Cevec’s technologies as the new global industry standard for viral vector and vaccine development.

“Outstanding yields, scalability, excellent documentation and regulatory status, including a referenceable US FDA Biologics Master File increasingly convince the biopharmaceutical industry to embark on the CAP technologies.

“We’re proud and excited to see our technologies significantly contributing to the development of a steadily growing number of innovative gene therapy and vaccine applications, including a vaccine solution that will address the threat of Zika virus disease.”

"We’re proud and excited to see our technologies significantly contributing to the development of a steadily growing number of innovative gene therapy and vaccine applications."

The Zika infection causes no or only mild symptoms that are similar to a very mild form of dengue fever in adults and can spread from a pregnant woman to foetus.

This can result in microcephaly, brain malformations, and may also lead to other severe foetal birth defects.

The virus is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes and can also be transmitted from men and women to their sexual partners.

CAPGT suspension cell lines grow to high-cell densities and show a viral propagation spectrum.

CAPGo comprises a portfolio of glyco-optimised human suspension cell lines for the production of a range of recombinant proteins.