VGX Pharmaceuticals Receives NIH
Grant
PHILADELPHIA, May 15, 2003 – VGX Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce the award of a $425,000
grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This
award will support the five-year research and further development of Novel Vaccines for
Smallpox in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. The five-year grant award amounts to a total
of nearly $2.5 million from the NIH.
Since September 11, 2001, many
experts have warned of the threat of a terrorist attack with highly destructive
pathogens such as smallpox or anthrax. Given the serious concern over the
current Smallpox vaccine's dangerous, sometimes fatal, side
effects, the work funded by this grant
will focus on the development
of safer Smallpox vaccines with
minimal side effects.
“I am very pleased to collaborate
with VGX Pharmaceuticals on this very important project,” said Dr. David B.
Weiner, an Associate Professor at the Pathology Department of the University of
Pennsylvania, who is the principal investigator for the project.
VGX Pharmaceuticals is actively engaged in developing a novel
class of drugs for the treatment of HIV, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. VGX
Pharmaceuticals' particular focus on viral genes, their protein products and
human cellular targets provides a platform for the development of potent
therapeutics whose mode of action directly impact critical cell functions. VGX
Pharmaceuticals' drug discovery and development expertise includes cell and
molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, chemistry, virology,
pathology and pharmacology.
For further information please
contact:
VGX Pharmaceuticals
Ernest Shin, VP
3701 Market St., 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
PH 215.966.6176