Year: 2011

A study published by Nature Structural & Molecular Biology describes how gamers using an online gaming framework called Foldit, deciphered the structure of a key protein, retroviral protease, that plays a critical role in the way HIV multiplies. Since the game was developed by reserachers at the University of Washington and debuted in 2008, more… Read More »

Choosing the right CMO for your clinical program is one of the most critical decisions you will make.  Not only must your CMO be able to manufacture your product correctly, they must also be able to do it on-time and on-budget.  But how do you evaluate a company that you’ve never worked with before?   Below… Read More »

A 20 year study funded by the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, has released information about a new treatment that utilizes HIV to combat cancer. The trial that was developed from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine uses a strain of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to turn white… Read More »

Recent studies indicate that use “natural medicines” to treat diseases such as Cancer and Alzheimers from plants, animals, insects and microorganisms are gaining attention as results from several studies performed around the world are yielding promising results. One of the most interesting and recent studies using natural medicine uses a compound called chlorotoxin from the… Read More »

This is a recent article from GEN Magazine about DNA Vaccine production that also sheds light on some issues associated with the increasingly difficult task of plasmid purification. By: K. John Morrow Jr., Ph.D. Delivery, delivery, delivery is the major focus of DNA vaccine research, according to David Weiner, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania professor and… Read More »

Recently, a researcher on our Linkedin DNA Vaccines group asked if any DNA vaccines have been licensed for use in humans.  The short answer is no.  Most DNA vaccine clinical programs are still in phase I and phase II.  Currently, the only phase III trial being conducted is by San Diego-based Vical.  Their cancer immunotherapy vaccine… Read More »

     Plasmids used in DNA Vaccines produce proteins that produce an immune response. Some of the earliest experiments conducted in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s demonstrated DNA uptake and gene expression by cells in regenerating muscle tissue of rodents.These experiments allowed for the term “naked DNA” to be coined by Vical in San Diego, Ca. Naked DNA refers… Read More »

Inovio Pharmaceuticals recently published the results of two HIV DNA vaccine studies. Both studies resulted in humoral immune responses, significant antigen-specific T-cell responses, and ultimately protection from the HIV virus. The first study evaluated Inovio’s HIV DNA vaccine in non-human primates (monkeys). This novel genetic vaccine was designed to target clade C envelope protein using… Read More »

At the recent VetHealth Global 2011 convention, Dr. Douglas Kern, DVM,VGX Animal Health’s Vice President of Business Development made an announcement regarding their results for a recent DNA Vaccine. The vaccine, VAH-5000D targets the telomerase protein TERT, and shows a strong T cell immune response for the treatment of dogs with cancer.  Dave Ruslander a veterinary oncologist and past president of… Read More »

OncoSec Medical develops and uses ElectroOncology, a combination of its electroporation delivery technology and a chemotherapeutic or novel DNA-based immunotherapeutic to destroy cancerous tumors while remarkably, sparing healthy normal tissue. After the additional evaluation of their Phase I trial to treat solid tumor cancers, OncoSec discovered that a DNA plasmid encoded to produce IL-12 delivered… Read More »

Making the Right Amount Determining the amount of plasmid to manufacture for a clinical trial is foundational to defining both a realistic budget and project time line. Because it typically takes six to eight months to manufacture a batch of plasmid under GMP, you can’t afford to underestimate how much plasmid to make. Getting it… Read More »