We support and manage
all stages of drugs development
all stages of drugs development
We have a deep and longstanding expertise in the development and production of genetic vaccines. Over the years, our international team has greatly contributed to several researches aimed to unlock the potential of innovative prophylactic and therapeutic programs.
Looking at the future capitalizing on a history of success
ReiThera’s management and scientific teams have successfully developed genetic vaccines against major infectious diseases, including hepatitis C, malaria, HIV, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Ebola using the highly innovative chimpanzee-derived adenovirus (ChAd) platform within Okairos, a company founded by Prof. Riccardo Cortese, Alfredo Nicosia, Antonella Folgori and Stefano Colloca.
Unlike the human adenoviruses which are rapidly inactivated by our immune system – we have all been exposed to the common cold – those of chimpanzees are not as efficiently recognized by our immune system and trigger a strong immune response, both from T- and B-lymphocytes. Okairos team used chimp adenoviruses as ‘Trojan horses’ in which pathogen-specific proteins were inserted. Such an approach demonstrated potency and efficacy of these T-cell based vaccines in a ChAd prime, followed by an MVA boost fashioning relevant animal models and in humans.
After the acquisition of the brand by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2014, Okairos changed its name to ReiThera and worked with GSK to further develop the technology and promote clinical development of viral vectored vaccines against infectious diseases. These vaccines have been evaluated in thousands of healthy subjects of all ages, as well in patients with chronic viral infections and shown to be safe and highly immunogenic.
In addition to this platform, ReiThera has a unique expertise in large-scale GMP production of genetic vaccines The GMP manufacturing facility meets the most stringent criteria to produce material to be used in human clinical studies.
ReiThera management and scientific team and the company’s founders were also the founders of the Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare (IRBM) in Rome, which later became a subsidiary of Merck Inc. While at IRBM, they made significant contributions to the field of infectious diseases, including elucidation of the mechanism of action of the hepatitis C protease and polymerase enzymes, and discovery of the HIV fusion inhibitor ISENTRESS®.
Capitalizing on its successful experience from early preclinical development to clinical studies and GMP manufacturing ReiThera is now offering robust high-quality services while developing innovative advanced therapies based on different viral vector technologies.
A highly specialized team of scientists, an industry-leading management team,
fully-equipped laboratories, and a state of the art GMP facility:
these are the backbone of our longstanding success.
fully-equipped laboratories, and a state of the art GMP facility:
these are the backbone of our longstanding success.
All-around expertise
Outstanding team
Our team is strongly experienced in every step of the developing, manufacturing, and regulatory processes regarding viral-vectored technologies. Our scientists, officers, and lab technicians have worked on several innovative candidate therapies for a range of infectious diseases: a specialization which allows us to provide tailored, timely, and effective solutions to comply with the needs of this fast-paced market.
GMP Facility
ReiThera’s facility consists of 870 m2 cGMP production suites, 170 m2 quality control laboratory, and more than 700 m2 of GMP and research support service space, inclusive of filling suite equipped with an oRABS isolator with a fully automated aseptic filling machine with a validated batch size of 2000 vials (2R, 6R, 10R). A new area of 1.300 sqm dedicated to large scale production including a clean cell room, a media preparation room and a production area with 1000L and a 2000L bioreactors, will be validated in 2021. ReiThera produces GMP viral cell culture with different type of technologies including disposable stirred tank bioreactors (200L, 100L and 2000L) and fixed bed bioreactors (cultivation surface up to 30 sqr).
Decades of collective experience
Our mix of academic authority, scientific talent, and commercial expertise put at the forefront of the new wave of modern medicine triggered by the progress of viral-vectored technologies. A big part of this result lies in decades of collective experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and brings unmatched expertise in the clinical management of infectious diseases.
Partnerships
Our longstanding and pioneering efforts in the field of gene-based technology are well represented by our partnerships with renowned universities, institutes, and companies, which give us the opportunity to address a variety of prophylactic and therapeutic indications across a broad range of applications.
The people behind our achievements
Meet our team
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ANTONELLA FOLGORI Chief Executive OfficerAntonella is the Chief Executive Officer. She was one of the founders of Okairos Srl.
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STEFANO COLLOCA Chief Of Technology
Stefano is the Chief Of Technology. He was one of the founders of Okairos Srl.
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STEFANIA CAPONE HEAD OF PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
Stefania is the Head of Preclinical and Clinical Immunology.
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VIRGINIA AMMENDOLA Qualified Person and Quality Assurance Director
Virginia is the Qualified Person and Quality Assurance Manager.
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