BLUE BELL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VGX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VGX), a leading developer of DNA vaccines and
therapies for HIV infection, announced today that its collaborators from
the University of Pennsylvania presented data showing enhanced magnitude
and quality of immune responses induced by VGX’s DNA vaccines with
electroporation delivery compared to those induced by the recombinant
Adenovirus Serotype 5 (Ad5) vector. The data was presented at the recent
16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2009)
held in Montreal, Canada.
VGX and its collaborators have previously reported that PENNVAX™ DNA
vaccines delivered with its CELLECTRA® electroporation device
induced dramatic increases in T-cell and antibody-based immune responses
as well as improved control of viral replication following a simian
immunodeficiency virus (SIV) challenge. The SIV model in non-human
primates is considered to be the most relevant model for studying HIV
infection in humans. Historically, recombinant Ad5 vector has been shown
to be one of the most potent viral vectors for vaccine development.
This study was led by Professor David B. Weiner’s team at the University
of Pennsylvania and included collaborators from VGX and Merck. The
collaborative study was the first study to directly compare a DNA
plasmid-electroporation platform with a recombinant Ad5 vector in an SIV
model in non-human primates. The study results showed significant
enhancements in the magnitude, frequency, proliferative capacity, and
polyfunctionality of the induced immune responses following DNA
plasmid-electroporation vaccination compared to the Ad5 vector.
“VGX Pharmaceuticals along with our collaborators have the most active
and dynamic HIV vaccine development programs in the industry,” stated
Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO. “We have demonstrated that our
novel PENNVAX™ HIV DNA vaccines delivered with our CELLECTRA®
electroporation device can induce significantly higher and broader
T-cell responses in monkey models. We look forward to advancing studies
with the aim of demonstrating the same outcome in humans.”
PENNVAX™ HIV Vaccine Phase I Trial Update
Preventative PENNVAX™ HIV Vaccine Programs
PENNVAX™ is an optimized DNA vaccine for HIV developed by VGX using its
SynCon™ technology. The Company’s PENNVAX™-B (targeting HIV clade B)
vaccine without electroporation delivery is currently in a Phase I
clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Division of AIDS (DAIDS) and being
conducted by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) to evaluate the
vaccine’s safety and immunogenicity in healthy volunteers. The HVTN
recently completed enrollment of this 120-patient study (HVTN protocol
number 070). VGX and its collaborators are planning a follow-on Phase I
clinical trial of PENNVAX™-B vaccine delivered with the CELLECTRA®
electroporation device (HVTN protocol number 080).
In October 2008, VGX was awarded a $23.5 million contract by the NIAID
to develop another preventative DNA vaccine candidate, PENNVAX™-GP
(targeting HIV clades A, C, and D), in conjunction with its CELLECTRA®
electroporation technology. The Company is presently focused on
optimizing the combination of the HIV vaccine candidate and
electroporation delivery in pre-clinical studies.
Therapeutic PENNVAX™ HIV Vaccine Programs
PENNVAX™-B vaccine is also being tested as a therapeutic vaccine in a
Phase I study conducted by investigators from the University of
Pennsylvania and Drexel University. This 38-patient study is being
funded by a grant from the NIAID and began enrolling patients in 4Q
2008. The investigators are planning a follow-on Phase I clinical trial
of PENNVAX™-B vaccine delivered with the CELLECTRA®
electroporation device in a therapeutic setting.
About VGX Pharmaceuticals
More information about VGX can be found at www.vgxp.com.
Contacts
VGX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VGX)
Kevin W. Rassas
Senior
Vice-President
Tel. 267.440.4208
Fax 267.440.4242
Rassas@vgxp.com
www.vgxp.com