SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 24, 2009-- Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE Amex: INO), a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that Stanley A. Plotkin, MD, has agreed to join the company’s scientific advisory board.
Dr. Plotkin developed the rubella vaccine now used worldwide and has worked extensively on the development and application of other vaccines including polio, rabies, varicella, rotavirus and cytomegalovirus. He is Emeritus Professor, Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, and Executive Advisor to the CEO of Sanofi Pasteur.
Over the course of his career he has served as senior assistant surgeon with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, U.S. Public Health Service; director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia; associate chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania; and medical and scientific director of Aventis Pasteur.
Dr. Plotkin’s professional awards include the Sabin Foundation Medal (2002); the French Legion Medal of Honor (1998); the Clinical Virology Award, Pan American Group for Rapid Viral Diagnosis (1995); the Distinguished Physician Award, Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (1993); and the Bruce Medal of the American College of Physicians (1987).
Dr.
J. Joseph Kim
, Inovio’s CEO, stated, “Dr. Plotkin is an internationally renowned virologist who has made significant contributions to the goal of conquering diseases with vaccines. We are honored to have Dr Plotkin join our distinguished panel of scientific advisors, who are committed to helping guide Inovio’s development of DNA vaccines, a potentially vital new generation of vaccines targeting cancers and chronic infectious diseases.”
Dr. Plotkin joins Dr.
David B. Weiner
and Dr.
Robert S. Langer
on Inovio's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Weiner is Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board and is a professor of the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Weiner is considered to be a pioneer of the field of DNA vaccines. Dr. Langer, Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, is a renowned scientist with numerous distinguished awards. Drs. Weiner and Langer have both advised organizations such as the FDA and multiple life sciences companies. Both Drs. Weiner and Langer have served as founding members of the scientific advisory board of VGX Pharmaceuticals, which merged with Inovio Biomedical on June 1, 2009.
About Inovio Biomedical Corporation
Inovio Biomedical is engaged in the design, development, and delivery of a new generation of vaccines, called DNA vaccines, focused on cancers and infectious diseases. The company’s SynCon™ technology enables the design of DNA-based vaccines capable of providing cross-protection against evolving, unmatched strains of pathogens such as influenza. Inovio’s proprietary electroporation DNA delivery technology uses brief, controlled electrical pulses to increase cellular DNA vaccine uptake. Initial human data has shown this method can safely and significantly increase gene expression and immune responses. Inovio’s clinical programs include HPV/cervical cancer (therapeutic) and HIV vaccines. An IND has been filed for an avian influenza vaccine. Partners and collaborators include Merck, Tripep, University of Southampton, University of Pennsylvania, and HIV Vaccines Trial Network. Inovio’s product candidates and technologies are protected by an extensive global intellectual property portfolio. More information is available at www.inovio.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our plans to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery technologies and DNA vaccines. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to, the fact that pre-clinical and clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of results achievable in other trials or for other indications and that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies), the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA vaccines, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by the parties or their collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that the parties and their collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide the parties with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether the combined company can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of the companies’ combined technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, our ability to successfully integrate Inovio and VGX Pharmaceuticals, the impact of government healthcare proposals, our ability to maintain listing of our common stock under the rules and regulations of the NYSE Amex and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, our Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2009, and other regulatory filings from time to time, including our current report on Form 8-K reporting the closing of the merger transaction with VGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.There can be no assurance that any product in Inovio’s pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate.
Contacts
Investors:
Inovio Biomedical
Bernie Hertel, 858-410-3101
or
Media:
Richardson
& Associates
Jeff Richardson, 805-491-8313