Inovio Pharmaceuticals' Synthetic Vaccine for Cancer Recognized as Most Promising Research at Global Vaccine Congress

BLUE BELL, Pa., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: INO), a leader in the development of synthetic vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that the company's research to develop a therapeutic synthetic vaccine for cancer won the Edward Jenner Poster Award First Prize at the recent 5th Vaccine and ISV Global Congress. This prestigious prize recognizes the most promising research at the Congress. Inovio's poster, entitled "Induction of HPV specific CTLs in human volunteers after DNA immunization," was selected from over 500 abstracts by the scientific organizing committee and an expert panel of judges. The award citation highlighted Inovio's pioneering therapeutic cervical dysplasia/cancer vaccine program and the novel assay for determining vaccine impact.

The Vaccine Congress is a forum for a state-of-the-art report on the latest progress in the development of vaccines for infectious and non-infectious diseases. The annual Jenner Award is named after Edward Jenner (1749-1823), who is widely credited as the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine and is often referred to as the "Father of Immunology."

Inovio presented data showing the development of a novel flow cytometry-based assay to assess cytolytic T cell (CTL) activity in immunized patients. Blood samples collected from subjects immunized with Inovio's SynCon® therapeutic HPV 16 and 18 vaccine (VGX-3100) were analyzed by the new assay. Inovio previously announced the results of its Phase I clinical trial demonstrating the induction of strong T-cell immune responses to the vaccine. An important aspect of a therapeutic vaccine is its ability to generate antigen-specific cytolytic CD8+ T cells that can kill infected host cells. Using the new assay, Inovio scientists were able to demonstrate for the first time that the vaccines developed fully functional CTLs capable of killing targets in an antigen-specific manner -- a finding that may prove crucial to the success of an effective therapy for HPV-related disease.

Dr. J. Joseph Kim, president and CEO, said, "We greatly appreciate this recognition of Inovio's leadership and innovation in advancing the development of novel vaccines and analytical methods to assess vaccine effects. Our SynCon® vaccines administered with our proprietary electroporation delivery systems have generated best-in-class immune responses in our Phase I clinical trials for cervical dysplasia and HIV. The demonstration of antigen-specific CTL activity induced by Inovio's synthetic vaccines delivered by its proprietary CELLECTRA® electroporation system speaks well for our synthetic vaccine platform in general and in particular for our cancer vaccine programs."

Inovio has active therapeutic vaccine programs for HPV 16 and 18 associated cervical dysplasia/cancer (Phase II), chronic and acute myeloid leukemia (Phase II), prostate cancer (pre-clinical), hepatitis C virus (Phase II), and HIV (Phase I).

About Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Inovio is developing its revolutionary synthetic consensus immunogen technologies to extend the profound medical benefits of the 20th century's immune-system-stimulating vaccines by preventing and treating today's cancers and challenging infectious diseases. Its SynCon® vaccines are designed to provide universal cross-strain protection against known as well as newly emergent unmatched strains of pathogens such as influenza. These synthetic vaccines, in combination with Inovio's proprietary electroporation delivery method, have been shown in humans to be safe and generate best-in-class immune responses. Inovio's clinical programs include Phase II studies for cervical dysplasia/cancer, leukemia and hepatitis C virus and Phase I studies for influenza and HIV. Partners and collaborators include the University of Pennsylvania, Merck, ChronTech, National Cancer Institute, U.S. Military HIV Research Program, NIH, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, University of Southampton, US Dept. of Homeland Security and PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. More information is available at www.inovio.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our business, including our plans to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery technologies and DNA vaccines and our capital resources. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to, the fact that pre-clinical and clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of results achievable in other trials or for other indications, that the studies or trials may not be successful or achieve the results desired, that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies and that results from an animal study may not be indicative of results achievable in human studies), the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA vaccines, the adequacy of our capital resources, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by the company or its collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that the company and its collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving product liability, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide the company 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 the company can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of the company's technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, our ability to successfully integrate Inovio and VGX Pharmaceuticals, the impact of government healthcare proposals and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, our Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2011, and other regulatory filings from time to time. There can be no assurance that any product in Inovio's pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate.

CONTACTS:
Investors: Bernie Hertel, Inovio Pharmaceuticals 858-410-3101 [email protected]
Media:  Jeff Richardson, Richardson & Associates 805-491-8313 [email protected]

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110127/LA37605LOGO)

SOURCE Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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