DRO BIOSYSTEMS, a biopharmaceutical development company, and 3P Biopharmaceuticals, the largest contract biopharmaceutical production plant in Spain, have signed an agreement to produce the EDA molecule, which might boost vaccines against viral and tumoral diseases. Researchers are focusing on applying this protein in the fight against the hepatitis C virus, for which there is still no vaccine, as well as against the flu virus and against cancer of the uterine cervix or cervical cancer, while in the future it might also be interesting in the strategy of searching for a vaccine against AIDS.

The EDA (Extra Domain A of fibronectin) molecule is an immunological adjuvant that boosts the action of vaccines, with extensive scope of development for the future. The total contracting volume anticipated in this project exceeds one million euros.

DRO, located in San Sebastián, is collaborating with 3P, a company from Navarra, in producing this medicament and its next aim is to provide 30 mg of the molecule so that Digna Biotech can continue its research. The agreement seeks to attend to the demand from Digna, the leading Spanish pharmaceutical company in developing pharmaceutical products of a biological origin, which will licence out this molecule to pharmaceutical laboratories in order to convert it into medication and take it to market.