Oxxon Therapeutics

About Oxxon Therapeutics

Oxxon Therapeutics Limited operated as a United Kingdom-based biotechnology firm focused on creating antigen-specific immunotherapies for patients with cancer and chronic infectious diseases. The company was established in 1999 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, originally under the name Oxxon Pharmaccines. The founding team consisted of a group of distinguished immunologists from the university: Professor Adrian Hill, Professor Andrew McMichael, Professor Geoffrey Smith, and Dr. Joerg Schneider. Their collective expertise in immunology and virology formed the scientific bedrock of the company.

The company's core technology was its proprietary Hi-8® PrimeBoost immunotherapy platform. This two-step vaccination strategy was designed to elicit potent T-cell immune responses against disease antigens. The process involved a 'prime' step using a plasmid DNA vaccine to stimulate an initial T-cell population, followed by a 'boost' with a non-replicating viral vector (MVA) containing the same antigens to amplify the response significantly. This approach aimed to create a robust population of memory T-cells capable of targeting and eliminating diseased cells. The business model centered on the research and development of these therapeutic vaccines, with a pipeline that included candidates for melanoma, hepatitis B, and HIV. A Phase II clinical trial for its melanoma vaccine, Hi-8® MEL, had been completed.

Oxxon's operations were financed through private funding rounds from venture capital firms, including MVM Life Science Partners, Quester, NIF Ventures, East Hill Management, and NeoMed Management. In March 2007, Oxxon Therapeutics was acquired by Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a public biopharmaceutical company also spun out of Oxford University, in a deal valued at £16 million. The acquisition was seen as a strategic move to combine complementary technologies, as both companies utilized the same MVA vector, and to strengthen Oxford BioMedica's immunotherapy pipeline and intellectual property portfolio. Following the acquisition, Oxxon Therapeutics became a dormant, subsidiary company. The domain oxti.com, which was the company's website, is now for sale.