Inovio Biomedical to Present New Data from Melanoma Immunotherapy Clinical Trial at DNA Vaccines Forum 2008
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 4, 2008 - Inovio Biomedical Corporation (AMEX:INO), a leader in enabling the development of DNA vaccines using its proprietary electroporation-based DNA delivery platform, announced today that new interim data from a phase I clinical trial of a DNA-based immunotherapy against melanoma using Inovio's electroporation delivery technology will be presented at the DNA Vaccines Forum 2008 being held March 10-11, 2008, at The Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London, UK. Dr. Richard Heller of the University of South Florida and Moffitt Cancer Center will make the presentation, "Investigating Positive Outcomes in the Clinic Supporting Successful Implementation of DNA Vaccine Delivery through Electroporation," on Tuesday, March 11th, at 11:50 a.m. Inovio's electroporation delivery technology is intended to enhance the potency of DNA-based immunotherapies including DNA vaccines.This investigator-sponsored phase I clinical study was designed to assess safety, tolerability and immune responses against malignant melanoma of plasmid-based IL-12 delivered intratumorally using Inovio's electroporation technology. Patient enrollment of this study is completed. Interim results from the study reported in May 2007 demonstrated significant and dose-dependent increases in IL-12 protein expression in treated tumors. Initial evaluation determined that nearly 70 percent of the 78 treated tumors (two to four melanoma tumors per subject) showed an objective local clinical response to the treatment when biopsied after initiation of the therapy.
"The drive to create DNA-based immunotherapies capable of treating cancers and chronic infectious diseases has been hampered by the lack of a safe and efficient DNA delivery solution," stated Avtar Dhillon, MD, president and CEO of Inovio. "We have previously reported four sets of positive interim data validating Inovio's electroporation-based DNA delivery technology. Melanoma is a devastating disease, and we look forward to additional data from the Moffitt Cancer Center for this DNA-based melanoma immunotherapy using Inovio's technology."
About Melanoma
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It is not the most common of the skin cancers, but causes the most deaths. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2007 in the U.S. there would be 8,110 deaths from melanoma and 59,940 new incidences.
About Inovio's Immunotherapy Products
DNA-based immunotherapy products have the potential to by-pass inherent scientific obstacles of conventional vaccines that prevent their development for cancer and chronic infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. Pre-clinical and clinical data have indicated the potential ability of Inovio's technologies to safely and effectively deliver and significantly enhance the potency of such immunotherapies.
Inovio's DNA-based immunotherapy products consist of DNA plasmids and its electroporation-based intratumoral and intramuscular DNA delivery systems. A DNA plasmid is designed to express an antigen that can induce an immune response specific to a cancer or infectious disease-causing organism. The plasmid is synthetically created and readily manufactured using well-established bacterial fermentation and purification technology. After a plasmid is delivered into tumor or muscle cells, production of the antigen may then induce a preventive or therapeutic immune response against the targeted disease. Inovio's advanced electroporation devices facilitate delivery and expression of such immunotherapies and have been shown in primate and human studies to safely and efficiently generate immune responses. Breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, HIV and hepatitis C virus are among the current targets of therapies employing Inovio technology.
Inovio is poised to deliver advanced DNA-based immunotherapies, devices and know-how in this rapidly advancing field. The company is actively licensing its technology to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and supporting early stage clinical studies arising from its own research efforts or through academic collaborations.
About Inovio Biomedical Corporation
Inovio Biomedical (AMEX:INO) is focused on developing multiple DNA-based immunotherapies. Inovio is a leader in developing human applications of electroporation using brief, controlled electrical pulses to increase cellular uptake of a useful biopharmaceutical. Interim human data has shown that Inovio's DNA delivery technology can significantly increase gene expression and immune responses from DNA vaccines. Immunotherapy partners include Merck, Wyeth, Vical, University of Southampton, Moffitt Cancer Center, the U.S. Army, National Cancer Institute, and International Aids Vaccine Initiative. Inovio's technology is protected by an extensive patent portfolio covering in vivo electroporation. More information is available at www.inovio.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our plans to develop our electroporation drug and gene delivery technology. Actual events or results may differ from our expectations as a result of a number of factors, including the uncertainties inherent in clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to, the fact that pre-clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of results achievable from testing in humans and that results from one study may necessarily not be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies), the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of Inovio's technology as a delivery mechanism, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by Inovio or its collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that Inovio and its collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide Inovio with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether Inovio can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of our technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, our 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, and other regulatory filings from time to time. There can be no assurance that any product in our product pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proved accurate.
Contact
Investors:
Inovio Biomedical
Bernie Hertel, 858-410-3101
or
Media:
Ronald Trahan Associates Inc.
Ron Trahan, 508-359-4005, x108
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