Vical Incorporated announced the publication in the journal Vaccine1 of successful results from non-clinical testing of its Vaxfectin adjuvant and Vaxfectin-formulated plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccines against pandemic influenza prior to their first use in human clinical trials. The results pave the path for potential future human applications of Vaxfectin as a universal adjuvant for additional pDNA vaccines, for conventional protein-based infectious disease vaccines, and for cancer vaccines.

Vaxfectin is a lipid-based adjuvant initially developed for use with DNA vaccines. Vaxfectin has been shown in multiple animal models to significantly increase the antibody and T-cell immune responses to antigens expressed from DNA vaccines. Vaxfectin has achieved similar effects with protein-based vaccines for infectious diseases and with tumour-associated antigen peptides for cancer applications. Phase 1 clinical trials of Vaxfectin-formulated H5N1 and H1N1 pandemic influenza DNA vaccines extended the immunogenicity results to humans, and demonstrated favourable safety and tolerability. The current publication reviews the non-clinical results that supported the advancement of the Vaxfectin-formulated DNA pandemic influenza vaccines into clinical development.

Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases.