Vical Extends Collaboration With U.S. Government for Emerging Disease Vaccines
Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL) announced today that the company has extended its relationship with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) to develop its platform technology for the rapid development and production of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.
Vical received U.S. government funding from Defense Threat Reduction Agency and NMRC in 2010 to support development of its Vaxfectin(R)-formulated DNA vaccine against H1N1 pandemic influenza, which is expected to complete Phase 1 testing in the first quarter of 2011. With additional funding under the extended relationship, Vical will work with NMRC under this contract to establish systems and procedures for the application of Vical's DNA delivery technology, with the goal of protecting military pers onnel from the threat of new pathogens in the early stages of outbreaks.
"Vical's technology is designed to allow extremely rapid and safe vaccine development without direct handling of the pathogen," said Larry R. Smith, Ph.D., Vical's Vice President of Vaccine Research. "We were the first company to produce a vaccine against H1N1 swine-origin influenza during the 2009 outbreaks, and were able to initiate animal testing within two weeks of the influenza virus gene sequence selection. Based on our development speed with the H1N1 vaccine and the successful Phase 1 clinical testing of our H5N1 avian-origin influenza vaccine, we believe our DNA vaccine platform and Vaxfectin(R) adjuvant are ideally suited to provide rapid protection against novel pathogens. We are pleased to collaborate wit h NMRC in establishing an emerging disease vaccine platform for military personnel, which may eventually be useful for the broader population."
About Vical
Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases. Potential applications of the company's DNA delivery technology include DNA vaccines for infectious diseases or cancer, in which the expressed protein is an immunogen; cancer immunotherapeutics, in which the expressed protein is an immune system stimulant; and cardiovascu lar therapies, in which the expressed protein is an angiogenic growth factor. The company is developing certain infectious disease vaccines and cancer therapeutics internally. In addition, the company collaborates with major pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies that give it access to complementary technologies or greater resources. These strategic partnerships provide the company with mutually beneficial opportunities to expand its product pipeline and address significant unmet medical needs. Additional information on Vical is available at www.vical.com. |
