MONTREAL, April 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Viropro Inc. (OTCBB:VPRO) ("Viropro") and Invitrogen Corp. (Nasdaq:IVGN) ("Invitrogen") have entered into an R&D collaboration in which Invitrogen is testing and helping to develop innovative production technologies. Viropro's protein production expertise combined with Invitrogen PD Direct(tm)'s media and cell line development expertise will yield new solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
This collaboration would represent recurring revenues and royalties for Viropro following integration of the technology with Invitrogen PD Direct(tm)'s customized media platforms. Additionally, Viropro has an opportunity to out-license the technology and sign intellectual property (IP) agreements with other major biotech companies interested in integrating novel IP into their research and manufacturing processes.
"The fact that an industry leader like Invitrogen has shown a concrete interest in our technology is a clear sign of Viropro's ability to choose innovative and cutting edge intellectual property for the realization of our business model," said Viropro CEO, Jean-Marie Dupuy.
Jeff Greenberg, VP of BioProduction of Invitrogen stated that, "We are enthusiastic about testing this new technology and hope to establish a long-term relationship with Viropro."
About Invitrogen
Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN) provides products and services that support academic and government research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their efforts to improve the human condition. The company, which is celebrating 20 years of accelerating scientific discovery, provides essential life science technologies for disease research, drug discovery and commercial BioProduction. Invitrogen's own research and development efforts are focused on breakthrough innovation in all major areas of biological discovery, including functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and cell biology -- placing Invitrogen's products in nearly every major laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987, Invitrogen is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and conducts business in more than 70 countries around the world. The company globally employs approximately 4,800 scientists and other professionals and had revenues of more than $1.2 billion in 2005.
For more information, visit www.invitrogen.com
About Viropro Inc.
Viropro Inc. conducts operations through its subsidiary Viropro International Inc., whose head office is located in Montreal, Canada. Viropro is a rapidly expanding biopharmaceutical company specializing in the transfer of its technologies for industrial production of biogeneric therapeutic proteins, excluding therapeutic vaccines, for the treatment of various diseases including cancer, diabetes, hepatitis or multiple sclerosis. The company's principal objective is to bring about the transfer of technology to pharmaceutical companies in emerging markets with unmet medical needs such as in South America, Asia and Africa. To expand its range of expertise in biopharmaceuticals excluding therapeutic vaccines, Viropro has concluded strategic alliances with various scientific and business partners renowned in national and international spheres. Viropro's business model rests on a strategy aimed at generating recurrent short and long-term revenues, all while maximizing the value of assets and profits of its shareholders.
For more information on Viropro Inc., please visit our website on www.viropro.com
Viropro Inc. Safe Harbor Statement
Except for any historic information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which are subject to section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to safe harbor created by these sections. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions of future events or performances are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements in this release may be identified through the use of such words as "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "believes", or statements indicating certain actions "may", "could", or "might" occur. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, which involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to market its products and services in a competitive environment as well as other factors.