Valneva Announces a New Antibody Discovery Collaboration with a leading Global Animal Health Company

The VIVA|Screen® technology, which integrates the ISAAC technology developed by Toyama University and acquired by Valneva in 2011, is used for the selection and retrieval of unique B-lymphocytes from any species that secrete specific and rare antibodies of interest. Today there is a strong demand for therapies which target major areas of unmet need in veterinary medicine, in particular for companion animals. Within the last five years a new industry focused on advanced companion animal therapeutic regimens has evolved and continues to gain traction. With its VIVA|Screen® technology, Valneva supports the discovery of these antibodies through the screening and isolation of antibodies from B-lymphocytes from a target population. The efficiency of VIVA|Screen®, from which even a few Blymphocytes among more than 250 million can be isolated, avoids the use of human and murine antibodies and enables the sequence optimization for their use in a respective targeted species.
Thomas Lingelbach, President and Chief Executive Officer and Franck Grimaud, President and Chief Business Officer of Valneva, commented, “We are very pleased to initiate this novel collaboration in the animal health field. Our VIVA|Screen® technology provides significant advantages for organizations that are seeking to discover new antibodies from non-human B-lymphocytes to expand into new market areas where existing treatment options are limited or do not exist.” Financial details are not disclosed but do include upfront and milestone payments along with future royalties on net sales.