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Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO): Accelerate Development of Malaria Vaccines

We are excited to bring this innovative delivery technology into clinical testing to see whether the compelling immune responses seen in animal models translate to humans. Determining if and how these potent immune responses lead to protection against infection with the most deadly form of malaria is a high priority in our efforts to develop a next generation malaria vaccine.
Dr. David C. Kaslow, director of MVI

Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO) is a microcap biotech that is attempting to target the large indications of cancers and infectious diseases. The company’s novel pipeline is based on its SynCon® synthetic vaccine development platform. It is currently developing vaccines to address large areas of need, most notably cervical dysplasia/cancer, prostate cancer, hepatitis C virus, HIV, influenza, malaria and other tropical diseases. INO not only developed vaccines novel in nature, but also provided the administration of the therapies themselves with its unique electroporation platform.

Inovio has a phase 2 trial under-way for VGX-3100 for cervical dysplasia. Two of Inovio’s collaborators, the University of Southampton and ChronTech Pharma AB, are expected to report interim data from Phase 2 studies of its DNA vaccines for leukemia and the hepatitis C virus. Evermore, the results from an ongoing trial of the company’s H1N1 influenza “construct” vaccine are expected in Q1 2013.

INO with The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) today announced a follow-on collaboration to advance malaria vaccine development and new vaccination delivery technologies. Researchers will test whether a novel vaccine approach that combines genetically engineered DNA with an innovative vaccine delivery technology called electroporation could induce an immune response in humans that protects against malaria parasite infection.

This follow-on agreement for clinical development builds on a 2010 research and development collaboration between Inovio and MVI. Inovio researchers and their academic collaborators developed novel DNA plasmids targeting multiple malaria parasite antigens and conducted studies in rodents to demonstrate induction of broad immune responses. The success of these studies resulted in an expanded collaboration, in which further testing demonstrated potent T cell and antibody responses in other animal models.

The focus on vaccines that deliver multiple antigens simultaneously is a leading approach to developing highly effective malaria vaccines. The Inovio platform is technically well suited to deliver multiple target antigens and has effectively demonstrated in preclinical studies an ability to induce potent immune responses to these antigens. This is one of a series of platforms MVI plans to evaluate for its capacity to induce immune responses that confer protection from malaria infection in the human challenge model.

Investing in INO:

From time to time I talk about micro-cap investing as a form of venture investing for the public. We are not looking for a 25% gain. The micro-cap investor, like the venture investor, is looking for big multiple gains of three, five or 10 times over the life of the investment. There is a very big risk-reward factor for investors in micro caps, and the micro-cap investor should have the same long-term perspective that the venture capitalist has.
Josh Levine, editor of Josh Levine’s MicroCap Investor

Inovio: Revolutionizing Vaccines

  • Inovio’s synthetic vaccine technology designed to:
  • Treat some of today’s most challenging diseases
  • Provide universal protection against changing infectious disease strains
  • Break the body’s tolerance of cancerous cells
  • Targeting unmet needs with multi-billion dollar potential: cancers, universal flu, HIV, hepatitis B/C virus
  • Multiple ongoing clinical trials: phase II and phase I
  • Industry-leading potency & safety
  • Best-in-class immune responses
  • Dominant global IP position (424 patents issued/pending)

Validation:

  • $42M+ in non-dilutive grant funding over last few years
  • Advancing discussions for vaccine product development partnerships and further grant funding

 

An affiliate of SmallCapBiotech receives fifteen thousand dollars per month for providing consulting and advisory services to Inovio. This compensation may affect the objectivity of our profile of the company. You should do your own homework and consult an investment professional before making any investment decisions.
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