The testing will be conducted to determine whether CEL-1000 could be used as a potential treatment and/or preventive agent against this virus.
CEL-1000 has previously been shown to be protective in animal challenge studies against viruses and unrelated diseases, specifically herpes simplex virus, viral encephalitis and malaria, and to enhance survival against cancer in animals.
CEL-1000 appears to activate innate (very early stage) and Th1 type (cellular) immune responses to induce a broad-spectrum protection against infection in animal models. The innate immune system is generally accepted to be the first line of defense against infectious agents.
Geert Kersten, CEO of Cel-Sci said, “CEL-1000 has been successfully tested in a number of diseases with the support of the US government. We hope that CEL-1000 can activate the immune system to successfully defeat the avian flu virus as it has done against other viruses.”
CEL-1000, derived from the beta chain of human MHC-II, is a modified version of a human immune-based protein known to bind to both human and mouse immune cells and appears to act by enhancing the host’s protective immune response.