INOVIO, TRIPEP REPORT DATA ON HEPATITIS C DNA VACCINE

Inovio Biomedical announced that its partner, Tripep, has achieved additional positive preclinical results showing that its ChronVac-C DNA vaccine combined with Inovio's MedPulser DNA delivery system produced a strong immune response against hepatitis C virus in a large animal model. Ongoing toxicity studies of ChronVac-C delivered using Inovio's electroporation-based system revealed that the combination induces a humoral response in rabbits that is comparable to results previously observed in mice.

ChronVac-C is designed to be a therapeutic DNA vaccine that can stimulate the body's immune system. Animal experiments have demonstrated that ChronVac-C vaccination activates B-cells and T-cells (the latter being regarded as the most significant to clearing the chronic infection relating to hepatitis C) that kill cells that produce hepatitis C proteins.

The ChronVac-C DNA plasmid would be injected into muscle tissue and taken up by muscle cells with the assistance of Inovio's electroporation-based DNA delivery system. These muscle cells would be expected to then produce predetermined proteins that may activate the body's immune system to attack all cells producing hepatitis C proteins.