Scientific paper—“DNA vaccines: precision tools for activating effective immunity against cancer”—now available at www.nature.com

“EP (electroporation) appears to have surmounted the hurdle required to translate DNA vaccination into the clinic…” -- Nature Reviews Cancer 8, 108-120 (February 2008)

SAN DIEGO (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) January 30, 2008 -- Inovio Biomedical Corp. (AMEX:INO), a leader in enabling the development of therapeutic DNA vaccines for cancers and infectious diseases using its electroporation-based delivery platform, announced today the online availability of a peer-reviewed scientific paper, “DNA vaccines: precision tools for activating effective immunity against cancer”, in the February 2008 issue of Nature Reviews Cancer. The paper is authored by Jason Rice, Christian H. Ottensmeier and Freda K. Stevenson of the University of Southampton (UK). Dr. Ottensmeier and Dr. Stevenson are investigators for a prostate cancer Phase I/II clinical study assessing a DNA vaccine delivered using Inovio’s electroporation-based DNA delivery technology, which is intended to enable and enhance the potency of DNA vaccines.

DNA vaccines: precision tools for activating effective immunity against cancer

...for clinical trials of vaccines against cancer, initial enthusiasm turned to frustration with an apparent failure to translate promising vaccine designs from preclinical models into human subjects. The problem lay with delivery of DNA, and might now be solved by EP (electroporation), which is a known way of increasing transfection in vitro and is now successfully applied in vivo.

...data from the two lowest dose levels already suggest that EP (electroporation) enhances antibody and CD4+ T-cell responses against the DOM 1 sequence. Preliminary analysis of CD8+ T-cell reactivity against the prostate-specific membrane antigen...indicates significant responses in 3 out of 3 patients so far (J.R., C.H.O. and F.K.S., unpublished observations).

We are gratified by this paper's strong endorsement of electroporation-based delivery of DNA vaccines

Among the paper’s conclusions: “…for clinical trials of vaccines against cancer, initial enthusiasm turned to frustration with an apparent failure to translate promising vaccine designs from preclinical models into human subjects. The problem lay with delivery of DNA, and might now be solved by EP (electroporation), which is a known way of increasing transfection in vitro and is now successfully applied in vivo.”

The paper introduces new interim data from the Southampton clinical study: “…data from the two lowest dose levels already suggest that EP (electroporation) enhances antibody and CD4+ T-cell responses against the DOM 1 sequence. Preliminary analysis of CD8+ T-cell reactivity against the prostate-specific membrane antigen…indicates significant responses in 3 out of 3 patients so far (J.R., C.H.O. and F.K.S., unpublished observations).”

“We are gratified by this paper’s strong endorsement of electroporation-based delivery of DNA vaccines,” said Dr. Avtar Dhillon, Inovio’s President and CEO. “This paper also provides the first evidence that Inovio’s technology may play an important role in inducing a significant T-cell response in humans, which could be vital to treating cancers and chronic infectious diseases. With the unique potential of DNA vaccines to stimulate such T-cell responses, the possibility for Inovio’s technology to overcome the persistent challenge of delivering DNA vaccines would indeed by a profound accomplishment.”

Inovio Biomedical’s electroporation-based delivery system is being tested in five clinical trials that are underway with DNA vaccines.

About Inovio Biomedical Corporation

Inovio Biomedical (AMEX:INO) is a leader in developing human applications of its electroporation technology, which uses brief, controlled electrical pulses to increase cellular uptake of DNA vaccines. Interim human data has shown that Inovio’s DNA delivery technology can significantly increase gene expression and immune responses from DNA vaccines. Partners include Merck, Wyeth, Vical, University of Southampton, Moffitt Cancer Center, 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 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 clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of future results from this or 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. There can be no assurance that any product in our product pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, or that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products.

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