Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Biopharmaceutical company Hemispherx Biopharma has gained exclusive rights to a new DNA-based vaccine production. The technology developed at Vanderbilt University delivers therapeutic DNA to the interior of cells and utilizes a chemical compound called DOGS, or dioctadecylamidoglycylspermine.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
The DNA technology is being designed to vaccinate against lethal viral outbreaks including avian influenza.
The acquisition of this intellectual property enhances the position of Hemispherx Biopharma in the vaccine field. Supporting and encouraging the development of DNA based vaccines has become a major initiative of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ biodefense programs.
The use of DOGS technology increases the effectiveness of DNA technology by more than 100-fold, potentially slashing the amount of DNA required to induce an immune response.
The company plans to combine the DOGS with its drug Ampligen, to create a new vaccine technology platform with wide application for human and veterinary indications, as well as use in biodefense.
Ampligen, an experimental immune therapeutic, is being developed to improve cell based human vaccines including avian influenza vaccines.