Vaxfectin(R)-formulated Measles DNA Vaccine Could Address Unmet Need f...( SAN DIEGO Aug. 21 /- Vical Incorp...)

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq: VICL) today announced that results from nonhuman primate studies of a Vaxfectin(R)-formulated DNA vaccine for measles, published in the August issue of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology(1), offer a promising approach to the development of a measles vaccine to address an unmet need for human infants. Vical recently reported breakthrough preliminary Phase 1 trial results for the company's H5N1 pandemic influenza DNA vaccines formulated with the same Vaxfectin(R) adjuvant.

In the article, authors from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Vical detailed results from studies in juvenile and infant nonhuman primates demonstrating that the vaccine induced rapid, durable, high-avidity, neutralizing antibody responses; measles-specific memory T-cells; and long-term protection against measles challenge. The article concluded, "A Vaxfectin(R)-formulated DNA vaccine is a promising approach for the development of a new measles vaccine for young children." The ability to induce broad-based and lasting immune responses, confirmed by long-term protection, adds further evidence supporting the potential for Vaxfectin(R)-formulated DNA vaccines.

The measles studies were conducted in collaboration with Diane E. Griffin, M.D., Ph.D., Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, under a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "Although a safe and effective live attenuated commercial measles vaccine is available, measles continues to be a major cause of infant mortality," said Dr. Griffin. "The immaturity of the immune syst
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