Dor BioPharma starts non-human efficacy studies for RiVax

The program, funded in large part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is intended to supply efficacy data for RiVax in vaccinated rhesus monkeys (macaques) and to develop correlates of immunity.

These data will further aid in interpretation of immunogenicity data obtained in human vaccination trials. The studies will take place at Tulane National Primate Research Center, a part of the Tulane University Health Sciences Center.

While prior Phase I clinical trial results for RiVax demonstrated that the vaccine is well tolerated and induces antibodies in humans that neutralize ricin toxin in tissue culture, it will be critical to obtain data proving that this response is protective. In the studies to be done at Tulane, it will be important to establish that vaccinated non-human primates are not only protected against lethality from ricin aerosol exposure, but also against lung damage.