BLUE BELL, Pa., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Inovio
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: INO) announced today
that David B. Weiner, Ph.D., Professor, Department of
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of
Pennsylvania, and Chairman of Inovio's
Scientific Advisory Board, has been elected a fellow
in the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS). Dr. Weiner, often called the "father
of synthetic DNA vaccines," is being honored for his
pioneering and enabling discoveries in the area of
synthetic DNA vaccines and promoting the nascent field of
research during its early stages. Dr. Weiner was
recognized at the Fellows Forum held February 18th during
the AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Dr. Weiner's laboratory helped to found the field of
synthetic DNA vaccines in the early 1990s. His laboratory
and collaborators were responsible for the first
synthetic DNA vaccine Investigational New Drug
application (IND). This IND for HIV immune therapy became
the first IND approved as a synthetic DNA therapeutic
vaccine. His studies were the first to establish that
synthetic DNA vaccines appear well tolerated and are
immunogenic in humans.
Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO, said, "This
award is further recognition of David's visionary and
untiring efforts at his lab in the University of
Pennsylvania. These efforts led to the first discovery in
the field of synthetic DNA vaccines. He created the
scientific foundation for Inovio's clinical stage
pipeline of synthetic vaccines for cancer, HIV, influenza
and many other infectious diseases. It is through
David's work that we may look back at this period and
call it the "era of synthetic vaccines. We at Inovio
congratulate David on this prestigious honor."
The AAAS Fellowship is based on scientifically or
socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its
applications. Members are elected to the organization by
their peers. AAAS has been electing accomplished
scientists to its society since 1874. The American
Association for the Advancement of Science is an
international non-profit organization dedicated to
advancing science around the world by serving as an
educator, leader, spokesperson and professional
association. In addition to organizing membership
activities, AAAS publishes the journal Science, as well
as many scientific newsletters, books and reports, and
spearheads programs that raise the bar of understanding
for science worldwide.
About Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Inovio is revolutionizing vaccines to prevent and treat
today's cancers and challenging infectious diseases.
Its SynCon® vaccines are designed to provide universal
cross-strain protection against known as well as newly
emergent unmatched strains of pathogens such as
influenza. These synthetic vaccines, in combination with
Inovio's proprietary electroporation delivery, have
been shown in humans to generate best-in-class immune
responses with a favorable safety profile. Inovio's
clinical programs include Phase II studies for cervical
dysplasia, leukemia and hepatitis C virus and Phase I
studies for influenza and HIV. Partners and collaborators
include the University of Pennsylvania, Merck, ChronTech,
National Cancer Institute, U.S. Military HIV Research
Program, NIH, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, University of
Southampton, US Dept. of Homeland Security and PATH
Malaria Vaccine Initiative. More information is available
at www.inovio.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking
statements relating to our business, including our plans
to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery
technologies and synthetic vaccines and our capital
resources. Actual events or results may differ from the
expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of
factors, including uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical
studies, clinical trials and product development programs
(including, but not limited to, the fact that
pre-clinical and clinical results referenced in this
release may not be indicative of results achievable in
other trials or for other indications, that the studies
or trials may not be successful or achieve the results
desired, that pre-clinical studies and clinical trials
may not commence or be completed in the time periods
anticipated, that results from one study may not
necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of
other similar studies and that results from an animal
study may not be indicative of results achievable in
human studies), the availability of funding to support
continuing research and studies in an effort to prove
safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a
delivery mechanism or develop viable synthetic vaccines,
the adequacy of our capital resources, the availability
or potential availability of alternative therapies or
treatments for the conditions targeted by the company or
its collaborators, including alternatives that may be
more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or
treatment that the company and its collaborators hope to
develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues
involving product liability, issues involving patents and
whether they or licenses to them will provide the company
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 the company can finance or devote
other significant resources that may be necessary to
prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate
expenditures, assessments of the company's technology
by potential corporate or other partners or
collaborators, capital market conditions, the impact of
government healthcare proposals and other factors set
forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2010, our Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2011, and other regulatory filings
from time to time. There can be no assurance that any
product in Inovio's 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
proven accurate.
CONTACTS:
Investors: Bernie Hertel, Inovio Pharmaceuticals
858-410-3101 bhertel@inovio.com
Media: Jeff Richardson, Richardson & Associates
805-491-8313 jeff@richardsonglobalpr.com
SOURCE Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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