Vical Inc.--non-viral gene-based vaccines. I wonder how they do that.
And what is naked DNA? I understand that viruses typically have an envelope, in which the rna or dna is compacted. Maybe Vical just strips off the envelope. Is there a mad cow prion applic?
Can someone in Calif area call Vical or advise?
thx
----see quote below from cda newswire----
``NAKED DNA'' VACCINES: PASTEUR MERIEUX CONNAUGHT AND VICAL INC. EXPAND THEIR
RESEARCH COLLABORATION
This was released in Lyon, France yesterday LYON, France, May 9 /CNW/ - Pasteur M‚rieux S‚rums & Vaccins
(Rh“ne-Poulenc Group), which operates in North America through its
wholly-owned subsidiary Connaught Laboratories (Pasteur M‚rieux
Connaught) and Vical Incorporated, announced today that they have
expanded their 1994 research, option and licence agreement covering
the use of ``naked DNA'' for the development and exercise of five new
vaccines. The agreement concerns a sixth vaccine against zona
(varicella zoster).
This agreement now includes the following six vaccine targets:
1. a vaccine against the cytomalovirus (CMV), a leading cause of
blindness;
2. a vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which
causes severe infantile pneumonia;
3. a vaccine against Lyme disease, a common tick-borne infection
that can lead to crippling arthritis;
4. a vaccine against Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial pathogen
thought to be associated with gastric ulcers;
5. a vaccine against malaria, a major cause of mortality
worldwide;
6. and now a vaccine against herpes zoster (varicella zoster).
This agreement includes a research collaboration and options for
Pasteur M‚rieux Connaught to take exclusive licences to Vical's
``naked DNA'' vaccine technology for certain vaccine targets. Pasteur
M‚rieux Connaught has exercised four of its original five licence
options and extended its options for the fifth vaccine target. In
addition, a sixth vaccine target, herpes zoster, has been optioned. A
research program lead by Vical Inc. accompanies the general
agreement. Any exercised licence would include potential cash
milestone and royalty payments.
DNA vaccines may prove superior to conventional vaccines for
several reasons:
-they appear to induce high levels of both antibody and cellular
immune responses;
-they have the potential to be effective against diverse disease
targets including infections due to viral pathogens;
-they may prove to have advantages in manufacturing and in the
ability to be combined to make multi-indication vaccines, compared to
recombinant protein and live or killed microorganism vaccines.
``Naked DNA'' vaccines should offer a better vaccinal cover at a
lower cost.
Vical Inc. (biotechnological company located in California)
discovers and develops non-viral gene-based pharmaceutical products.
The mission of Vical Inc. is to offer, with its new technologies,
safer and more cost-effective treatment opportunities for certain
diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases.
This agreement conforms perfectly to the mission of Pasteur
M‚rieux Connaught: contribute, as a global leader, to the protection
and maintenance of human health by creating superior immunological
products for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and
cancers.
For further information: Pasteur M‚rieux Connaught (Lyon, France), Yasmine Haddad, Corporate Communications
Department - Press Relations, Tel: (33) 72 73 70 83, Fax: (33) 72 73 78 47; Vical Inc. (San Diego, USA), Martha J. Demski
or Robert H. Zaugg, Tel: (1) (619) 453-9900, Fax: (1) (619) 453-5885
11:03e 10-MAY-96 |
