Newswise — PHILADELPHIA—(June 21, 2016)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved initiation of the first phase I human trial for a Zika vaccine, based on new research with key findings generated in the lab of David B. Weiner, Ph.D., executive vice president, director of the Vaccine Center, and the W.W. Smith Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at The Wistar Institute. This research was done in collaboration with Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Inovio), GeneOne Life Science, Inc. (GeneOne), Gary P. Kobinger, Ph.D., head of Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others.
The phase I, 40-person comparative trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine (GLS-5700), manufactured by Inovio and GeneOne. Inovio plans to begin dosing participants in the next few weeks.
In the fall of 2015, after news of global Zika virus outbreaks was reported by the World Health Organization, Dr. Weiner and his collaborators realized that developing measures to control the spread of the Zika virus was extremely important for public health, so they began their research endeavors on the development of a Zika vaccine.
“We immediately connected to discuss as a team how to tackle the complex issues associated with creating a Zika vaccine,” said Dr. Weiner. “We looked at each other’s strengths and our ability to work earnestly and collaboratively to achieve this goal. At that time, there were a lack of reagents, a lack of understanding of the biology of this virus and no model systems.”
The collaborators put in place a plan to develop reagents, controls, animal models assays and potential vaccine candidates for initial testing.
“Sharing data in real time was an integral part of advancing this research,” said Kar Muthumani, Ph.D., assistant professor at The Wistar Institute Vaccine Center, who worked with Dr. Weiner on this research. “Our team is excited about the next steps in the clinical development of this potential vaccine.”
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that causes microcephaly in unborn babies, causing them to be born with smaller heads and brains, and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a nervous system disorder that can lead to near total paralysis. It is spreading quickly, with major outbreaks occurring in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, many South American countries including Brazil, and reports of travel-related Zika cases in the United States.
The Weiner Laboratory at The Wistar Institute is dedicated to accelerating DNA-based vaccine technology. Dr. Weiner is igniting collaboration to explore not only the Zika virus but also Influenza, HIV, MERS, Ebola, CHIKV and combination therapies for ovarian, prostate, and other cancers. Having established national and global relationships between academia, industry, and government, Dr. Weiner’s research expands upon Wistar’s mission to create new treatments for the most uncompromising diseases and pushes the envelope of biomedical research by making lifesaving contributions to immunology, cancer biology and infectious diseases.
# # #
About The Wistar Institute The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. wistar.org.
RSS