Infectimune™ induced neutralizing antibody and robust T cell responses completely protecting animals against sickness after lethal challenge with live SARS-CoV-2 or influenza viruses
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of targeted immunotherapies for cancer and infectious disease, announced that preclinical studies involving Infectimune™, PDS Biotech’s novel investigational immune activating platform, were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Viruses, demonstrating the technology’s ability to generate a broad immune response against viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and multiple strains of influenza.
The paper, titled, “Recombinant Protein Vaccines Formulated with Enantio-Specific Cationic Lipid R-DOTAP Induce Protective Cellular and Antibody-Mediated Immune Responses in Mice,” highlighted results from preclinical studies. It was found that Infectimune™ (R-DOTAP) promoted strong T cell and antibody immune responses in both single- and multi-viral antigen (protein) containing vaccines. The vaccines induced antigen-specific and multi-cytokine-inducing CD8 and CD4 T cells associated with antigen-specific killing and immune memory, respectively.
Infectimune™ was tested in separate animal models of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. Data suggest that Infectimune™ promotes robust neutralizing antibody and T cell responses to all three recombinant SARS‐CoV-2 spike protein variants tested in the studies. The investigational universal flu vaccine, containing two computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) influenza proteins, demonstrated induction of T cell and neutralizing antibodies against multiple strains of influenza. Robust T cell responses were also generated to influenza nucleoprotein, a protein contained in non-mutating regions of the virus. Importantly, these Infectimune™ induced neutralizing antibody and T cell responses completely protected animals from lethal challenges with live SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. The Infectimune™ based vaccines also facilitated significant dose sparing of the viral protein antigens.
“We are encouraged by the data reported in Viruses which suggest that Infectimune™ is a promising platform for the effective delivery of recombinant protein antigens to the immune system and activation of the immune system for the development of next‐generation universal vaccines against respiratory viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2,” stated Dr. Lauren V. Wood, Chief Medical Officer of PDS Biotech and one of the co-authors of the study. “PDS Biotech is advancing our Infectimune™ based programs, and these studies highlight the potential of Infectimune™ to induce memory T cell responses against viral antigens that can provide the immune system with long-term memory and sustained protection against infectious pathogens over an extended period of time.”
The research was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the University of Kentucky Flow Cytometry & Immune Monitoring and PDS Biotech.
About Infectimune™
Infectimune™ is a novel investigational immune activating platform that generates broad and robust antibody and T cell responses that provide durable protection against infectious disease. Infectimune™ based vaccines are given by intramuscular injection and generate robust and durable protection against infectious agents in preclinical studies. Infectimune™ based vaccines have demonstrated safety in preclinical studies and appear to provide more robust and longer-lasting protection against infectious disease.
About PDS Biotechnology
PDS Biotech is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of targeted cancer and infectious disease immunotherapies based on our proprietary Versamune®, PDS0301, and Infectimune™ T cell-activating platforms. We believe our targeted Versamune® and PDS0301 based candidates have the potential to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapy approaches through the activation of the right type, quantity and potency of T cells. To date, our lead Versamune® clinical candidate, PDS0101, has demonstrated the ability to reduce tumors and stabilize disease in combination with approved and investigational therapeutics in patients with a broad range of HPV16-associated cancers in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials. Our Infectimune™ based vaccines have also demonstrated the potential to induce not only robust and durable neutralizing antibody responses, but also powerful T cell responses, including long-lasting memory T cell responses in pre-clinical studies to date. To learn more, please visit www.pdsbiotech.com or follow us on Twitter at @PDSBiotech.
Forward Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended) concerning PDS Biotechnology Corporation (the “Company”) and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the Company’s management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “likely,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “forecast,” “guidance”, “outlook” and other similar expressions among others. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property rights; the Company’s anticipated capital requirements, including the Company’s anticipated cash runway and the Company’s current expectations regarding its plans for future equity financings; the Company’s dependence on additional financing to fund its operations and complete the development and commercialization of its product candidates, and the risks that raising such additional capital may restrict the Company’s operations or require the Company to relinquish rights to the Company’s technologies or product candidates; the Company’s limited operating history in the Company’s current line of business, which makes it difficult to evaluate the Company’s prospects, the Company’s business plan or the likelihood of the Company’s successful implementation of such business plan; the timing for the Company or its partners to initiate the planned clinical trials for PDS0101, PDS0203 and other Versamune® and Infectimune™ based product candidates; the future success of such trials; the successful implementation of the Company’s research and development programs and collaborations, including any collaboration studies concerning PDS0101, PDS0203 and other Versamune® and Infectimune™ based product candidates and the Company’s interpretation of the results and findings of such programs and collaborations and whether such results are sufficient to support the future success of the Company’s product candidates; the success, timing and cost of the Company’s ongoing clinical trials and anticipated clinical trials for the Company’s current product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation, pace of enrollment and completion of the trials (including the Company’s ability to fully fund its disclosed clinical trials, which assumes no material changes to our currently projected expenses), futility analyses, presentations at conferences and data reported in an abstract, and receipt of interim or preliminary results (including, without limitation, any preclinical results or data), which are not necessarily indicative of the final results of the Company’s ongoing clinical trials; any Company statements about its understanding of product candidates mechanisms of action and interpretation of preclinical and early clinical results from its clinical development programs and any collaboration studies; and other factors, including legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments not within the Company’s control, including unforeseen circumstances or other disruptions to normal business operations arising from or related to COVID-19. The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors included in the Company’s annual and periodic reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Versamune® is a registered trademark and Infectimune™ is a trademark of PDS Biotechnology.
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