T-cell vaccine specialist Okairos named by FierceBiotech as one of the 2012 Fierce 15

Okairos, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Basel, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, developing genetic vaccines for major infectious diseases - including malaria, hepatitis C, influenza and cancer - using a novel proprietary technology.
 
“Okairos has vector technology that could enable the company’s genetic vaccines to combat major infectious disease threats such as hepatitis C, HIV and RSV,” says FierceBiotech Editor Ryan McBride. “There are no vaccines for these diseases, and Okairos dares to challenge the status quo in vaccine research.”
 
“We are delighted to achieve this recognition today and to be part of such an elite club of innovative biopharmaceutical companies as the 2012 Fierce 15,” said Dr Riccardo Cortese, chief executive officer and co-founder of Okairos. “Being selected by the expert editorial team at FierceBiotech provides further validation of our novel proprietary technology platform, harnessing the power of Tcells, which we believe will ultimately deliver effective vaccines against major infectious diseases for which none currently exist, such as RSV.”
 
The Fierce 15 celebrates the spirit of being "fierce" – championing innovation and creativity, even in the face of intense competition.
 
An internationally recognized daily newsletter reaching more than 100,000 biotech and pharma industry professionals, FierceBiotech provides subscribers with an authoritative analysis of the day's top stories. Every year FierceBiotech evaluates hundreds of private companies for its annual Fierce 15 list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of its technology, partnerships, venture backers and a competitive market position.
 
The 2012 Fierce 15 companies has been recognised last week at the BioPharm America conference in Boston. A complete list of "Fierce 15" companies – the online newsletter's tenth annual selection – is available online at www.fiercebiotech.com.