February 04Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NYSE Amex: INO) said Wednesday that a scientific paper comprising the positive results of a preclinical study on the company's DNA vaccine for prostate cancer was published in a journal titled Human Vaccines., 2011 -
DNA vaccination is a technique for protecting the body against disease by injecting it with genetically engineered DNA to produce an immune response, which then fights against potentially harmful invading cells, or antigens. DNA vaccines are considered to have many advantages over traditional vaccines, including the ability to induce a wider range of immune response types.The company's SynCon DNA vaccine for prostate cancer targets two antigens, while current therapies for the disease target only single antigens. The study published in the journal tested the hypothesis that a broader collection of antigens, administered through Inovio's electroportation technology, would improve the effectiveness of the therapy in mice.
Indeed, the preclinical trial showed that just one week after a second vaccination, the mice demonstrated potent immune responses.
Currently, therapies for prostate cancer, which include radiation, hormone deprivation and surgery, have many side effects and often do not provide for a long term cure. Across the US alone, there were 218,000 new cases of prostate cancer and more than 32,000 deaths in 2010.
"This is an important study in which the first SynCon DNA vaccine against a cancer target was successfully tested," said president and CEO Dr. J. Joseph Kim.
"This immunotherapy targeting more than a single antigen as a treatment for prostate cancer generated strong antibody and T-cell immune responses, which are considered vital to addressing prostate cancer.
"Taken together with the previous preclinical and clinical data, the current published results support the advancement of this product into a Phase I clinical study."
Aside from the company's vaccine for prostate cancer, it is also working on such therapies for cervical cancer, HIV and avian flu.
Inovio rallied more than 4.6% on Wednesday morning to trade at $1.35 as of 10:56am EST.
source: www.proactiveinvestors.com
