Biomay Supports New Cristian Doppler Lab for Allergy Research (Feb 2006)

The Christian Doppler Research Association (CDG) opened a new laboratory for Allergy Research at the Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Vienna (MUV). The goal of the new center will be the development of vaccines against severe forms of allergy. The project concept was developed by Biomay and Univ. Prof. Dr. Rudolf Valenta, who will lead the center. Doz. Dr. Margarete Focke-Tejkl and Doz. Dr. Ines Swoboda, both recognized experts in the field of allergy research, will be in Valenta´s team. “The aim of our research team is to develop vaccines for the most common allergies and to test them in clinical trials with allergy patients,” explains Valenta. “This ambitious goals shall be reached by the partnership between the Medical University Vienna, the biotech company Biomay and the CDG.”

The scientific approach of Valenta´s group will be the design of prophylactic and therapeutic asthma vaccines with lowest possible side effects (i.e. minimized IgE and T-cell reactivity). For the major allergens of birch and grass pollen, house dust mite, fungal spores and cat skin, B-cell epitope derived peptides will be developed.

Univ. Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Eichler, Vice-Rector at the MUV states that the opening of the new research center is an important step of Vienna´s allergy research towards world-class level. “Allergology represents a major research emphasis in the development plan of the MUV. With the excellent collaboration of the institutions, Vienna is going to become an international competence center for allergy research,” says Eichler.

The CDG supports application-oriented fundamental research and enables member companies to have direct access to new knowledge. The funding principle of the CDG is the doubling of the means provided by the partner company. From the time of its foundation in 1989, the CDG played a key role as an institution for science and technology transfer in the Austrian research and technology landscape. Biomay plans to further utilize this concept of public research promotion.

www.meduniwien.ac.at
www.cdg.ac.at

(Vienna, February 23, 2006)