News - Avant Immunotherapeutics Announces a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement With Walter Reed Army Institute For Candidate HIV/AIDS Vaccine
NEEDHAM, Mass., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- AVANT Immunotherapetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVAN) announced today that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) for the use of Therapore(TM)-P24 in the development of a vaccine candidate against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Under the CRADA, AVANT will provide its proprietary Therapore(TM) technology, which the company believes, offers significant advantages over other immunotherapeutic methods. Therapore will be used to generate specific immune responses against the HIV genomic sequence. Experts believe that an immune response created by a vaccine against the gene carried inside HIV has the potential to prevent infection by the virus and subsequently to protect individuals from developing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AVANT and WRAIR will each produce a component of the vaccine to be used in a clinical trial that will be run at WRAIR.
"We are delighted to enter into this cooperative agreement with WRAIR and to begin a clinical trial to demonstrate the proof-of-concept for our Therapore(TM) program," said Una Ryan, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of AVANT Immunotherapetics, Inc. "We believe that this technology will be useful against a wide variety of diseases, such as cancer and certain chronic viral infections."
Therapore(TM) consists of two bacterial proteins that deliver peptides or proteins into human cells to induce potent cell-mediated immune responses. Preclinical research with Therapore(TM) has shown its ability to safely induce long-lived CTL responses with great efficiency. In addition, Therapore(TM) has demonstrated an ability to deliver large peptides and protein antigens to the immune system, potentially enabling broader vaccine protective coverage in humans. AVANT plans to use its Therapore(TM) technology to develop novel immunotherapeutics for the treatment of chronic viral infections including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, as well as for the treatment of certain cancers.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was discovered in 1983, following the first recognized cases of AIDS in 1981 and 1982. Since then, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 13.9 million people have died throughout the world as a consequence of this disease. It's currently estimated that 33.4 million people around the world are currently living with HIV and/or AIDS. In the United States, 43,000 cases of AIDS were reported in 1998 resulting in over 17,000 deaths.
AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. is engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of products that harness the human immune response to prevent and treat disease. The Company's lead therapeutic program is focused on compounds that inhibit the inappropriate activity of the complement cascade that is a vital part of the body's immune defense system. The Company is also engaged in the development of Therapore?, a novel system for the delivery of immunotherapeutics for chronic viral infections and certain cancers. The Company and its collaborators are developing vaccines using the proprietary adjuvants, Adjumer(R) and Micromer(R), for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Lyme disease, and several other vaccine targets. In a further collaboration, the Company is developing an oral human rotavirus vaccine, and is developing its own proprietary vaccine for the management of atherosclerosis.
Additional information on AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. can be obtained through the Company's site on the world wide web: avantimmune.com.
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements which reflect AVANT's current views with respect to future events and financial performance. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: (1) the ability to successfully complete development and commercialization of products, including the cost, scope and results of preclinical and clinical testing; (2) the ability to successfully complete product research and further development, including animal, pre-clinical and clinical studies; (3) changes in existing and potential relationships with corporate collaborators; (4) the time, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals; (5) the ability to obtain substantial additional funding; (6) the ability to develop and commercialize products before competitors; (7) the ability to retain certain members of management and (8) other factors detailed from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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SOURCE: AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc.
CONTACT: Una S. Ryan, Ph.D., President and CEO, 781-433-0771, or Avery W. Catlin, Chief Financial Officer, 781-433-0771, info@avantimmune.com, both of AVANT Immunotherapeutics, or Joan Kureczka or Jesse Fisher of J. Kureczka Associates, 415-821-2413, jkureczka@aol.com |
