Research and Development
The primary goal of the Research and Development Department is to bring safe, modern and affordable pharmaceuticals to the Slovak and international market, in accordance with IMUNA PHARM a.s. company vision.
The aim of the Research and Development Department is to create an internationally recognized research unit with state-of-the-art equipment for applied research and development, to support the scientific potential of young and talented scientists, as well as to promote cooperation between IMUNA PHARM, a.s. and the academic sector on applied research projects and the development of new technologies on an international level. To foster this aim, the Research and Development Department employs research and development professionals with various educations, experience and nationalities.
The IMUNA PHARM, a.s. Research and Development Department focuses its activities on innovating its current portfolio of products and the development of new drugs to combat communicable diseases, these being not only vaccines, but also immunomodulatory preparations, allergens, probiotics and bacteriophages.
Projects of the Research and Development Department include:
- Development and manufacture of new product stabilizers and product formulas to increase their safety and ease of application by the patient,
- Development and implementation of modern technological manufacturing processes in cooperation with the Production Department,
- Development of new analytic methods to test drug safety and efficacy in compliance with the European Pharmacopoeia and WHO regulations, in cooperation with the Quality Control Department,
- Development of new animal models to be used in pre-clinical trials for biologically active substances and for testing their efficacy,
- Research in new biologically active substances using state-of-the-art modern technology,
- Research and development of new and innovative cell substrates, and implementing new technologies in vaccine production.
Research Cooperation
The Research and Development Department is the principal investigator in several basic and applied projects co-financed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the European Regional Development Fund (link to Projects & Grants tab). The Department is also an active long-term partner of the academic sector in basic and applied research projects, not only in Slovakia but also in the Czech Republic and other countries.
Publications
T . Betakova, D. Svetlikova, M. Gocnik, Overview of measles and mumps vaccine: origin, present and future of vaccine production, Acta Virol, ISSN: 0001-723X, 2013;57(2):91-6
M. Miklošová, Viral Vaccines – optimizing their stability and efficacy, Farmaceutický obzor, ISSN: 0014-8172, LXXXII, 2013, 11-12, 288-292
M. Miklošová, Vírusové vakcíny – optimalizácia ich stability a efektívnosti (Virus Vaccines – optimalization of stability and efficacy), Lekárske Listy – Pediatria, 2013, 35, 18-20
M. Miklošová, Výskum nových finálnych foriem vírusových vakcín s cieľom optimalizácie ich stability (Research in new final forms of virus vaccines in order to optimalize their stability), Zdravotnícke noviny, 2013, December
2014
M. Tomková, T. Kaško, M. Bubanová, T. Horňáková, Optimization of conditions for various cell substrates growth for future vaccine production and assay development, Abstracts of EATB 2014 Annual Meeting, 2014, p28
T. Kaško, I. Jakubec, M. Handl, J. Adler, Autologous cultured chondrocytes for the treatment of articular cartilage defects, Abstracts of EATB 2014 Annual Meeting, 2014, p5
2015
F.M.Lopez Cardoso, D. Petrovajová, M. Bubanová, I. Lojanová, T. Horňáková, Improving stability of measles and mumps vaccine by replacing human serum albumin with amino acids mixes, Abstracts from Vaccines 2014 meeting, The Biomedical Scientist, 2015 – accepted
F.M.Lopez Cardoso, D. Petrovajová, M. Bubanová, I. Lojanová, T. Horňáková, Zlepšenie stability vakcín proti mumpsu a osýpkam zámenou ľudského sérového albumínu za zmes aminokyselín (Improving stability of measles and mumps vaccine by replacing human serum albumin with amino acids mixes), Zborník abstraktov z prednášok VI. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, ISBN: 978-80-971836-3-9, 2015, January
E. Bajúsová, T. Horňáková, Potencovanie účinnosti humánnych a veterinárnych vakcín adjuvansami (Improving the efficiency of human and veterinary vaccines with adjuvants), Medical Practice, 2015, February
E. Bajúsová, T. Horňáková, Potencovanie účinnosti humánnych a veterinárnych vakcín adjuvansami (Improving the efficiency of human and veterinary vaccines with adjuvants), Zborník abstraktov z prednášok VI. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, ISBN: 978-80-971836-3-9, 2015, January
2016
Stanovenie obsahu stabilizátoru ľudského sérového albumínu (HSA) v lyofilizovanej monovakcíne proti mumpsu a osýpkam metódou ELISA. Bubanová M., Lopez Cardoso M. F., Tomková M., T. Horňáková, Zborník abstraktov z prednášok VII. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, ISBN: 978-80-89797-08-0, 2016, January
Genome stability of the Jeryl Lynn derived Pavivac mumps virus vaccine strain and vaccine safety, Tomková M., Labudová M., Lopez Cardoso F.M., Pantula V., Zelník V., Miklošová M., Horňáková T. a Kopaček J., Zborník abstraktov z prednášok VII. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, ISBN: 978-80-89797-08-0, 2016, January
Presentations
Optimization of conditions for various cell substrates growth for future vaccine production and assay development, M. Tomková, T. Kaško, M. Bubanová, T. Horňáková, EATB 2014, The 23rd Annual Congress of the European Association of Tissue Banks, Lund, Sweden, 1-3 October 2014 – poster presentation
Autologous cultured chondrocytes for the treatment of articular cartilage defects, T. Kaško, I. Jakubec, M. Handl, J. Adler, The 23rd Annual Congress of the European Association of Tissue Banks, Lund, Sweden, 1-3 October 2014 – poster presentation
Improving stability of measles and mumps vaccine by replacing human serum albumin with amino acids mixes, F.M.Lopez Cardoso, D. Petrovajová, M. Bubanová, I. Lojanová, T. Horňáková, The Vaccines congress, London, UK, 20-22 October 2014 – oral presentation
2015
Zlepšenie stability vakcín proti mumpsu a osýpkam zámenou ľudského sérového albumínu za zmes aminokyselín (Improving stability of measles and mumps vaccine by replacing human serum albumin with amino acids mixes), F.M.Lopez Cardoso, D. Petrovajová, M. Bubanová, I. Lojanová, T. Horňáková, VI. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, Štrbské Pleso, SR, 15-17 Január 2015 – poster presentation
Potencovanie účinnosti humánnych a veterinárnych vakcín adjuvansami (Improving the efficiency of human and veterinary vaccines with adjuvants), E. Bajúsová, T. Horňáková, VI. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, Štrbské Pleso, SR, 15-17 Január 2015 – poster presentation
Genome stability of the Jeryl Lynn derived Pavivac mumps virus vaccine strain and vaccine safety, M. Labudová, F. M. Lopez Cardoso, V. Pantula, V. Zelník, M. Miklošová, T. Horňáková and J. Kopaček, World Vaccine Congress Europe 2015, Silken Puerta América, Madrid, 9 – 11 November 2015 – poster presentation
2016
Stanovenie obsahu stabilizátoru ľudského sérového albumínu (HSA) v lyofilizovanej monovakcíne proti mumpsu a osýpkam metódou ELISA. Bubanová M., Lopez Cardoso M. F., Tomková M., T. Horňáková, VII. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, Štrbské Pleso, SR, 14-16 Január 2016 – poster presentation
Genome stability of the Jeryl Lynn derived Pavivac mumps virus vaccine strain and vaccine safety, Tomková M., Labudová M., Lopez Cardoso F.M., Pantula V., Zelník V., Miklošová M., Horňáková T. a Kopaček J., VII. Slovenský vakcinologický kongres, Štrbské Pleso, SR, 14-16 Január 2016 – poster presentation
Cost effective and robust cell-based assay for Dyalized Leukocyte Extract (DLE)-induced cell viability, Lopez Cardoso F.M., Tomková M., Petrovajová D., Bubanová M., Ragač O., and Horňáková T., X World Congress on Asthma, COPD and Immunopathology, Dubai, UAE, February 6-9, 2016 – poster presentation
