Inovio unveils new generation DNA vaccine delivery technology results

In the study, Inovio researchers investigated whether the electrical field strength generated by piezoelectricity alone could elicit gene transfer in the skin of an animal.

Researchers injected a plasmid encoding GFP (a type of protein that generates fluorescence) into guinea pig skin and delivered electrical pulses using the contactless electroporation device.

Inovio president and CEO Joseph Kim said while still enabling levels of vaccine potency that they have observed with their existing electroporation devices, this new contactless delivery method is non-invasive and amenable to the design of devices that are low-cost, portable, and extremely easy to use.

Inovio’s electroporation delivery devices use controlled, brief electrical pulses to create permeability in cell membranes, which can dramatically increase cellular uptake of a DNA vaccine and resulting gene expression (production of the antigen coded by the DNA vaccine).

The data achieved in animal and human studies has indicated that electroporation based delivery enables potent immune responses, which are considered vital to tackling challenging infectious diseases and cancers.