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Bell, PA – May 28, 2008 – |
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VGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VGX) announced today that the Company’s researchers have been invited to make multiple presentations regarding its CELLECTRA® DNA Delivery technology at the 11th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) in Boston, Massachusetts May 28-June 1, 2008.
Dr. Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, the Company’s Vice President of Research, will deliver a presentation on DNA vaccines and the use of CELLECTRA®, VGX’s novel adaptive electroporation device. The talk titled “Shocking Immune Therapies by Electroporation”, is part of the session entitled “Gene Based Vaccines: Progress in Genetic Vaccines”.
VGX and, in some cases, VGX together with their research collaborators from Dr. David Weiner’s laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania will also be making ten (10) additional presentations (4 oral, 6 poster) throughout the conference covering a broad range of topics. Included are:
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Pre-clinical research studies on VGX’s HIV, HPV, Influenza, and GHRH programs using the CELLECTRA® delivery technology. VGX has filed INDs covering the HPV, GHRH, and Influenza product candidates. |
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A presentation on LifeTide™ SW5 in collaboration with VGX Animal Health. Lifetide™ SW5 was recently approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority as a veterinary gene therapy product for treating pigs making it the first and only DNA therapy product approved for food animals and only the fourth such product approved by regulatory agencies for any indication. |
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Two presentations showcasing VGX’s proprietary DNA manufacturing process. These will cover process development challenges in developing products for human clinical use. VGX manufactures cGMP products under contract for partners as well as its internal development programs and the first of these have entered human clinical trials. |
“We are excited that VGX has been selected to make a number of presentations at the prestigious ASGT meeting,” stated Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The presentations cover various aspects of our vertically integrated product development platform and provide testimony to the rapid and broad development capabilities of VGX benefiting its own programs as well as those of its partners.”
DNA vaccines, comprising plasmid DNA encoding proteins from pathogens, allergens, and tumors, continue to be evaluated by many research scientists as prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic treatments for infectious diseases, allergies and cancer. The use of DNA as a means of vaccination offers potential benefits in protective efficacy, cross-strain applicability, development speed and manufacturing cost compared with conventional vaccines. DNA vaccines are known to be particularly effective in inducing killer T-cell responses, which are an important ingredient in fighting infections.
VGX Pharmaceuticals is developing a new generation of DNA vaccines utilizing synthetic consensus sequences and antigens for key HIV, HCV, HPV, and Influenza proteins that offer coverage across different viral sub-types or taxonomic groups. Pre-clinical studies have shown that immunization of mice and non-human primates using the consensus DNA constructs for each virus elicits an immune response against multiple sub-types of the HIV, HCV, HPV, or Influenza viruses respectively. In 2008 alone, the Company has filed INDs for a DNA therapeutic vaccine for cervical cancer (VGX-3100), a novel DNA therapy that utilizes GHRH for the treatment of cancer cachexia and anemia (VGX-3200), and a DNA preventative vaccine for avian influenza (VGX-3400).
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Our actual results may vary materially, and there are no guarantees
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About VGX
Pharmaceuticals
VGX Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company with small molecule and biologic product candidates for the treatment of infectious diseases, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. The Company's clinical development programs include PICTOVIR™ for HIV infection, which is in Phase II clinical trials, PENNVAX™-B for HIV infection, which is in 2 separate Phase I clinical trials, and VGX-1027 for inflammatory diseases, which is in Phase I clinical trials. In addition, the Company has filed INDs for VGX-3100, a DNA therapeutic vaccine for cervical cancer; VGX-3200, a novel DNA therapy that utilizes GHRH for the treatment of cancer cachexia and anemia; and VGX-3400, a DNA preventative vaccine for avian influenza. VGX has established a vertically-integrated DNA Vaccines and Therapies Platform with extensive capabilities including SynCon™ DNA-based product candidates, the CELLECTRA® delivery device, and efficient cGMP plasmid manufacturing facilities. The cGMP facilities are used for VGX’s own product supplies and for contract manufacturing. Vertical control over key aspects of product development has enabled the Company to consistently develop multiple product candidates, from bench-to-IND filing, within 1 year. The product candidates and technology programs are protected by the Company's extensive global intellectual property portfolio. More information about VGX can be found at www.vgxp.com.
Company Contact:
Kevin W. Rassas
Senior Vice President
Tel. 267.440.4208
Fax 267.440.4242
E-mail: Rassas@vgxp.com
www.vgxp.com
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