India’s leading knowledge based Life Sciences Company, Avesthagen Limited recently signed a Letter of Intent with Paris based ShigaMediX SAS. The partnership will result in developing a novel therapeutic vaccine against HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), which causes cervical cancer. Researchers have found that this accounts for an estimated 24% of India’s cancer cases in women and approximately 130,000 new cases annually across the globe.

Therapeutic vaccines are products that treat existing disease conditions and will be developed using ShigaMedix’s Antigen Vector System technology. The system targets the antigen presenting dendritic cells through the coupling of Shiga Toxin and HPV 16 / E 7 complex. Recent studies on animals have shown it to be effective in clearing the HPV induced tumor cells.

A similar technology will be used to develop an STxB – TB vaccine.

Avesthagen and ShigaMediX will co-develop this technology in both France and India through the Proof of Concept and would share the costs and rewards on an equal basis’ said Dr. Villoo Morawala-Patell, Founder and CMD, Avesthagen Limited on signing the Letter of Intent.

The companies are in the final stages of concluding the Co-development and licensing agreement, which will be signed in the coming weeks.

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About Avesthagen Limited

Avesthagen Limited is India’s leading integrated systems biology platform company that focuses on achieving convergence of food, pharma and population genetics leading to predictive preventive and personalized healthcare. It employs 600 people worldwide and is headquartered in Bangalore. Avesthagen Limited has established world class, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in Bangalore. It began business operations in 2001.Since its inception Avesthagen has grown into one of India's leading healthcare technology group in India, and its activities include, in addition to its agri-biotechnologies product pipeline, development of clinically validated botanical bioactives, derived from Indian medicinal plants, as well as the development of a pipeline of bio-similar drugs. Avesthagen Limited has four strategic business units: bioPharmaceuticals, bioNutrition, bioAgriculture and Science & Innovation. Its partners include multiple top 10 global companies in each of its fields of research. Avesthagen Limited collaborates at every stage in the value chain with appropriate partners, both public and private, for access to and exchange of technology and overall commercial expertise to leverage the ‘India advantage’.

Visit us at: www.avesthagen.com