Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio's President and CEO, said: "We have already demonstrated protection against multiple unmatched as well as newly emergent strains using combination SynCon?„? vaccines for different influenza subtypes in multiple pre-clinical studies. These studies also indicated that our SynCon?„? vaccines induced antigen-specific immune responses far exceeding levels that have been correlated with protection in humans. We look forward to human data from this trial and advancing this potentially paradigm-shifting vaccine approach."

As previously published in PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed, online publication, in an article entitled, "Heterosubtypic Protection against Pathogenic Human and Avian Influenza Viruses via In Vivo Electroporation of Synthetic Consensus DNA Antigens," Inovio's SynCon?„? H5N1 (avian) influenza DNA vaccine has been shown to provide broad protection against divergent strains of H5N1 influenza in mouse, ferret, and non-human primate models. Responses in all three species demonstrated the ability of SynCon?„? antigens to induce antibodies capable of providing cross-protection from divergent strains of the H5N1 subtype. In additional testing, ferrets and mice vaccinated with the SynCon?„? antigens were 100% protected from a lethal influenza challenge, with a concomitant significant reduction in viral shedding and disease progression in the vaccinated animals.

While this first human clinical study is focused on the H5N1 based vaccine, Inovio has also previously demonstrated the efficacy of other components of its SynCon?„? universal vaccine in relevant animal models. In pre-clinical studies of Inovio's SynCon?„? H1N1 flu vaccine, vaccinated mice were all protected from the unmatched 1918 "Spanish" H1N1 influenza and did not suffer weight loss. Additionally, ferrets immunized with the vaccine were 100% protected against death and sickness in a challenge with the unmatched A/H1N1 (2009) swine-origin influenza.

SOURCE Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.