About BCGene
Vision
Promote the population's access to better innovation products in Health
Mission
Fulfill all necessary steps for licensing and production of immunotherapeutics and vaccines based on recombinant BCG
Historic
The recombinant BCG laboratory at Instituto Butantan was established in 1998 under the direction of Luciana Leite, who was returning from a post-doctorate at Institut Pasteur in Paris under the supervision of Brigitte Gicquel and Nathalie Winter; a collaboration maintained until today.
Collaboration with the Siena group in Italy, led by Rino Rappuoli and Mariagrazia Pizza (from Novartis/currently at GSK), was essential for generation of the new recombinant BCG strains. The group has extensive experience in genetically modifying bacterial toxins.
The recombinant BCG vaccine against tuberculosis produces a genetically detoxified protein developed by the Siena group, which acts as an adjuvant by modulating the immune response. In experimental animals, it has demonstrated greater protective capacity against infection by the tuberculosis-causing bacterium compared to the original BCG vaccine.
Get to know the new tuberculosis vaccine >
Another recombinant BCG strain — Onco rBCG — produces a different genetically detoxified protein, also developed by the Siena group, and has shown enhanced activity in the treatment of bladder cancer in experimental animals. This study was conducted in collaboration with the team led by Miguel Srougi at the University of São Paulo Medical School.
Meet the Onco rBCG >
These projects had the collaboration of numerous international and Brazilian groups and important financial support from FAPESP, CNPq and BNDES, in addition to the Butantan Foundation.
Then in 2012, the collaboration expanded to include Diana Boraschi and Aldo Tagliabue, previously from the Siena group, and both with extensive experience in vaccine development and immunology.
It was through this collaboration that the idea of creating BCGene emerged, a “spin-off” of Butantan, aiming to boost the development of these extremely promising products and streamline the clinical trials necessary for their registration and licensing.
Team
Luciana Leite
Founder and Scientific Advisor
Researcher with 30 years of experience in product development, especially with recombinant BCG, at Instituto Butantan. She was the Director of the Institute's Biotechnology Center and Vaccine Development Laboratory, as well as Deputy Director of the Butantan Foundation. She was member of the Steering Committee of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network.
Carmen Weingrill
Partner and Owner
Biologist with 20 years of experience in Science, Technology and Health project management, at the Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Getulio Vargas Foundation and Instituto Butantan.
Luana Moraes
TB Project Manager
Biotechnologist with over 10 years of experience in vaccine development. Her background includes internships at the University of Miami and the University of Surrey, UK, as well as at the biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. She has extensive experience in applying CRISPR technology to BCG for the development of new vaccines.
Aldo Taglabue
Business Advisor
Immunologist with 45 years of experience in public and private institutions. He was involved in R&D for several vaccines developed in Siena, Italy, by Sclavo / Novartis / GSK and was part of the team that created the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, South Korea. Large experience in managing consortia and coordinating projects funded by the European Union
Diana Boraschi
Scientific Advisor
Immunologist with 45 years of experience in R&D in academic and industrial settings around the world in the area of innate immunity, inflammation, vaccine adjuvants and immune safety.
Tiago Meneghini
Finantial Advisor
Pharmacist with experience in the multinational healthcare industry, Siemens, and acting in the area of financial strategy, at Nubank.