GenVec, Inc. has signed a new three-year contract with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support the development and manufacture of novel adenovector-based vaccines against foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Under the new agreement, GenVec will receive up to $6 million in programme funding the first year and up to $15 million over three years if DHS exercises its annual renewal options under the contract. GenVec will be responsible for the development, production and regulatory approval of the vaccine while DHS will be responsible for conducting animal studies at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. The vaccines under development will utilize GenVec's proprietary adenovector technology and a novel production cell line capable of producing antigens that would normally inhibit production. GenVec's technology is also in use for the production of HIV vaccine candidates in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and a malaria vaccine in collaboration with the Naval Medical Research Center.
"This agreement represents an important step forward in the development of U.S. production of a foot and mouth disease marked vaccine to protect our food supply against a very virulent disease," said Dr. Rick King, GenVec's senior vice president of research. "The addition of the FMD project with DHS to our growing list of vaccine partnerships underscores the versatility and potency of our technology for vaccines. Moreover, if this program is successful, it could become our first commercially available vaccine product."
GenVec is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel gene-based therapeutic drugs and vaccines. Additional information about GenVec and its portfolio of product candidates is available at www.genvec.com and in the company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.