EMERYVILLE, Calif.,
Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), a leading synthetic
biotechnology company accelerating the world to sustainable
consumption through its Lab-to-MarketTM operating
platform, today announced it has entered into a 50:50 joint venture
arrangement with ImmunityBio, Inc. (Nasdaq: IBRX), a clinical-stage
immunotherapy company, to accelerate the commercialization of a
leading next-generation COVID-19 vaccine.
The parties have signed a binding term sheet, and a definitive
agreement is in process and is expected to be executed within the
next month pending standard closing conditions.
ImmunityBio has invested significantly in developing world
leading DNA and RNA vaccine production capacity and will be
responsible for the manufacturing of the vaccine once human trials
are successfully completed in South
Africa. Amyris will contribute its world leading
next-generation RNA technology licensed from the Infectious Disease
Research Institute (IDRI). Amyris will also provide sustainable
squalene, an organic compound used to produce the vaccine.
Upon completion of successful human trials, the joint-venture's
goal is to deliver one billion doses of the new vaccine in 2022
addressing the unmet needs of access to vaccines in developing
countries and other regions of the world, addressing cold-chain and
durability challenges facing the world today.
"The opportunity to expand our vaccine technology platform is
exciting and important in order to address pandemic preparedness,"
said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D.,
Global Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and Executive Chairman
of ImmunityBio. "We look forward to the rapid clinical development
of this next-generation vaccine of self-amplifying RNA which could
reduce the dose needed and address supply chain shortages."
"We are very pleased to partner with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his team at
ImmunityBio," said John Melo,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Amyris. "This is a team
that clearly understands the need for RNA infrastructure and made a
bet early. The combination of the ImmunityBio manufacturing
platform and our RNA technology can be the real difference maker
for COVID-19. Our mission is to have a vaccine that is accessible
to all people in the world and one that delivers the highest level
of efficacy without the cold chain supply chain requirements. The
early data is very promising and leads us to believe this will be
the first and best performing second generation COVID-19 vaccine.
The world needs a real sustainable solution for COVID-19 and other
respiratory diseases that are likely to face us in the future. The
pandemic is far from over for many people and we are committed to
making a real difference."
About Amyris
Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) is a leading
synthetic biotechnology company, transitioning the Clean Health
& Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets to sustainable
ingredients through fermentation and the company's proprietary
Lab-to-MarketTM operating platform. This Amyris platform
leverages state-of-the-art machine learning, robotics and
artificial intelligence, enabling the company to rapidly bring new
innovation to market at commercial scale. Amyris ingredients are
included in over 20,000 products from the world's top brands,
reaching more than 300 million consumers. Amyris also owns and
operates a family of consumer brands that is constantly evolving to
meet the growing demand for sustainable, effective and accessible
products. For more information, please visit
http://www.amyris.com.
Amyris, the Amyris logo and Lab-to-Market are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains
forward-looking statements, and any statements other than
statements of historical fact could be deemed to be forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other
things, statements regarding future events, such as Amyris'
expectation that its joint venture with ImmunityBio will accelerate
commercialization of a leading next-generation COVID-19 vaccine;
the goal of achieving access to one billion doses of a new COVID-19
vaccine for delivery in 2022 with availability targeted to the most
critical global needs in developing countries; the goal of
overcoming access, cold-chain and durability challenges related to
existing vaccines; Amyris' expectation of rapid clinical
development of this RNA vaccine to reduce dosing and supply chain
issues; the goal of delivering a vaccine with the highest level of
efficacy to become the first and best performing second generation
COVID-19 vaccine so that it can be a difference maker for the
COVID-19 pandemic. These statements are based on management's
current expectations and actual results and future events may
differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including risks
related to Amyris' liquidity and ability to fund operating and
capital expenses, risks related to its financing activities, risks
related to potential delays or failures in completing and
integrating planned acquisitions, risks related to potential delays
or failures in development, regulatory approval, launch, production
and commercialization of products, risks related to Amyris'
reliance on third parties particularly in the supply chain, and
other risks detailed from time to time in filings Amyris makes with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Reports on
Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on
Form 8-K. Amyris disclaims any obligation to update information
contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result
of new information, future events, or otherwise.
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amyris-announces-jv-partnership-with-immunitybio-for-next-generation-covid-19-rna-vaccine-301418434.html
SOURCE Amyris, Inc.