OUR CORE TECHNOLOGY
The key discovery leading to our patented core DNA delivery technology was that muscle tissues can take up polynucleotide genetic material, such as DNA or RNA, directly, without the use of viral components or other delivery vehicles, and subsequently express the proteins encoded by the genetic material for periods ranging from weeks to more than a year. Our approach typically involves designing and constructing closed loops of DNA called plasmids, or pDNAs. These pDNAs contain a DNA segment encoding the protein of interest, as well as short segments of DNA that control protein expression. Plasmids can be manufactured using uniform methods of fermentation and processing. This could result in faster development and production times than technologies that require development of product-specific manufacturing processes.
Since the initial discovery of our DNA delivery technology, our researchers have improved the design of our plasmids to provide increases in efficiency of gene expression and immunogenicity. In addition, we continue to develop other formulation and delivery technologies, including the use of lipid molecules, synthetic polymers called poloxamers, needle-free injection and other approaches, to enhance DNA expression or increase the immune response in DNA vaccine applications. We own broad patent rights in the United States and in key foreign markets to certain non-viral polynucleotide delivery technologies. Benefits of our DNA delivery technologies may include the following, which may enable us to offer novel treatment alternatives for diseases that are currently poorly addressed:
- Broad Applicability. Our DNA delivery technologies may be useful in developing vaccines for infectious diseases, in which the expressed protein induces an immune response; novel therapies for cancer, in which the expressed protein is an immune system stimulant or tumor suppressor; and therapeutic protein delivery, in which the expressed protein is a therapeutic agent,
- Convenience. Our DNA-based biopharmaceutical product candidates are intended to be administered on an outpatient basis,
- Safety. Our product candidates contain no viral components that may cause unwanted immune responses, infections, or malignant and permanent changes in the targeted cells' genetic makeup,
- Repeat Administration. Our product candidates contain no viral components that may preclude multiple dosing with a single product or use in multiple products,
- Ease of Manufacturing. Our product candidates are manufactured using uniform fermentation and purification procedures, and
- Cost-Effectiveness. Our DNA delivery technologies may be more cost-effective than other approaches. They may also cause fewer potential side effects, which itself may reduce per patient treatment costs.
Why DNA Vaccines?
DNA vaccines use portions of the genetic code of a pathogen to cause the host to produce proteins of the pathogen that may induce an immune response. Compared with conventional vaccines that use live, weakened, or dead pathogens to produce an immune response, this method potentially offers superior safety and ease of manufacturing, as well as convenient storage and handling characteristics. DNA vaccines have the potential to induce potent T-cell responses against target pathogens as well as trigger production of antibodies. Over the past decade, many scientific publications have documented the effectiveness of DNA vaccines in contributing to immune responses in dozens of species, including fish, nonhuman primates and humans. We believe important steps in the validation of DNA vaccines occurred in 2005 when our licensee Aqua Health received Canadian approval to sell its proprietary product, Apex-IHN®, a DNA vaccine to protect farm-raised salmon against infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, and again in 2007, when our licensee, Merial Limited, received notification of conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to market a therapeutic DNA vaccine designed to treat melanoma, a serious form of cancer, in dogs.
Vaccines are generally recognized as the most cost-effective approach for infectious disease healthcare. However, the technical limitations of conventional vaccine approaches have constrained the development of effective vaccines for many diseases. Development of vaccines based on conventional methods requires significant infrastructure in research and manufacturing. In addition, the safety risks associated with certain conventional vaccine approaches may offset their potential benefits. We believe our potential vaccine products may be simpler to manufacture than vaccines made using live viruses or protein subunit approaches including those involving mammalian, avian or insect cell, or egg-based, culture procedures. In addition, our DNA delivery technologies may accelerate certain aspects of vaccine product development such as nonclinical evaluation and manufacturing.
In the broader vaccine marketplace, it is important to note a changing dynamic. Traditionally, vaccines have been predominantly focused on the pediatric market, intended to protect children from diseases that could cause them serious harm. Today, there is a growing interest in vaccines against diseases that may affect adolescents and adults, which include both sexually transmitted diseases and infections that strike opportunistically, such as during pregnancy or in immunocompromised individuals, including the geriatric population. We believe our technologies, because of their potential safety and development timeline advantages, could be ideally suited for the development of this new generation of vaccines.
For an overview of how our DNA vaccines work, click on the link below.