BLUE BELL, Pa., Sep 15, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: INO), a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) has agreed to provide follow-on funding to continue evaluation and development of Inovio's malaria DNA vaccine candidate in non-human primates.
In the prior MVI-funded feasibility study, Inovio's malaria vaccine candidate induced broad-based immunity to four pre-erythrocytic malaria antigens. In the upcoming non-human primate study, Inovio's SynCon(TM)DNA vaccine platform, which targets sporozoites and the liver stage of the parasite, is delivered using Inovio's proprietary electroporation delivery technology. Humoral (antibody) and cellular (T-cell) responses will be assessed in this follow-on program, conducted by the same collaboration of vaccine experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Inovio.
Malaria continues to present a major healthcare challenge in the developing world and has been the focus of much attention by global public health agencies. Development of an effective vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum has been a challenge. The parasite undergoes several stages of development during its life cycle and presents different potential target antigens at each stage as it passes through its human and mosquito hosts. Inovio's vaccine candidate targets the pre-erythrocytic stage of the parasite and focuses on induction of both humoral and cellular responses against multiple target antigens. This approach is intended to help prevent infection of liver cells and to further clear those cells that, despite the antibody response, become infected. By targeting the parasite during the first days after infection, this type of vaccine may prevent the onset of malaria symptoms and further inhibit spread of the disease.
Inovio's technology has previously been shown to induce robust T-cell and antibody responses in different animal models of diseases including influenza, small-pox, HIV, and HPV. Data from the recently completed malaria immunogenicity study will be presented at the Second International Malaria Vaccines for the World Conference in Washington, DC (Sep 28-30).
Christian Loucq, MD, Director ofthe PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, stated: "MVI seeks to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and we are pleased to continue working with Inovio's novel DNA vaccine platform and its malaria vaccine approach."
Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO of Inovio, said: "Inovio's proprietary DNA vaccine technology platform has once again induced strong immune responses for a disease with unmet treatment needs -- in this case, malaria. We recently announced best-in-class immunogenicity data from our clinical trial for our HPV/cervical cancer DNA vaccine using the same technology platform. We appreciate MVI's shared enthusiasm and commitment to advance the application of this next-generation vaccine technology against this challenging disease."
Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated they may develop severe complications and die. Worldwide, about 2.37 billion people in 87 countries are at risk of the disease. According to WHO, in 2008 there were an estimated 247 million cases of malaria and nearly one million deaths - mostly among children living in Africa. A vaccine to prevent malaria infection would complement currently available methods to treat or prevent malaria.
On the Internet:
PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, www.malariavaccine.org
PATH, www.path.org
About Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Inovio is developing a new generation of vaccines, called DNA vaccines, to treat and prevent cancers and infectious diseases. These SynCon(TM) vaccines are designed to provide broad cross-strain protection against known as well as newly emergent strains of pathogens such as influenza. These vaccines, in combination with Inovio's proprietary electroporation delivery devices, have been shown to be safe and generate significant immune responses. Inovio's clinical programs include HPV/cervical dysplasia and cancer (therapeutic), avian flu (preventive), and HIV vaccines (both preventive and therapeutic). Inovio is developing universal influenza and other vaccines in collaboration with scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. Other partners and collaborators include Merck, National Cancer Institute, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. More information is available at www.inovio.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our business, including our plans to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery technologies and DNA vaccines and our capital resources. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies, 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, that the studies or trials may not be successful or achieve the results desired, that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies and that results from an animal study may not be indicative of results achievable in human 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 adequacy of our capital resources, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by the company or its collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that the company and its collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving product liability, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide the company 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 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 company's 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 and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, our Form 10-Q for the six months ended June 30, 2010, and other regulatory filings from time to time. 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.
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