Vical seems to have an AIDS vaccine program with Merck. From the most recent 10K:
INFECTIOUS DISEASE VACCINES
Vical and its collaborators have generated preclinical data
demonstrating that direct intramuscular injection of specific genes can
induce a potent, specific and prolonged immune response to infectious
disease-causing agents. In preclinical models, a direct injection of genes
for antigens of influenza resulted in both antibody-mediated and
cell-mediated immunity that was protective across widely divergent strains of
influenza. Thus, Vical's naked DNA vaccine technology may enable the
development of a new generation of preventive vaccine products effective
against a variety of microorganism strains. Additional studies by Vical, its
collaborators and several independent laboratories have extended these
findings to preclinical models for more than a dozen infectious diseases,
suggesting a wide array of potential targets for Vical's naked DNA vaccine
technology.
In May 1991, Vical entered into a commercial collaborative agreement
with Merck & Co., Inc. ("Merck") to undertake research and development in the
area of infectious disease preventive vaccines. As of April 1995, Merck had
exercised its options to exclusive licenses to use Vical's naked DNA
technology for development of vaccines directed against seven human
infectious disease targets: influenza, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),
herpes, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C, human papilloma virus (HPV) and
tuberculosis. The 1991 Agreement was amended in December 1995 and again in
November 1997 to grant Merck rights to develop and market therapeutic
vaccines against HPV, HIV and HBV. Merck has conducted Phase I clinical
trials with a preventive DNA vaccine candidate for influenza since April 1996. |
