GeoVax Expands and Strengthens Intellectual Property Portfolio
05 March 2021 - 1:55AM
via NewMediaWire --
GeoVax Labs,
Inc. (NasdaqCM: GOVX) (“GeoVax” or the “Company”), a
biotechnology company developing human immunotherapies and vaccines
against infectious diseases and cancer, today announced the filing
of two additional patent applications important to the Company’s
key focus on vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and cancer
immunotherapies.
The Company has filed an International Patent
Application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty to protect its
proprietary COVID-19 vaccines based on its platform modified
vaccinia Ankara (MVA) viral vector technology. Unlike certain
competitor vaccines that target only the COVID-19 spike protein,
GeoVax’s vaccines are designed to provoke a response to multiple
COVID-19 antigens, which are differentiated from competitive
vaccines in that they may be less susceptible to viral mutations in
the spike protein region that have emerged as problematic in
multiple regions of the world. The Company’s vaccines are intended
to be used as a primary vaccine or to boost COVID-19 vaccines from
other companies as part of vaccination strategies to provide
immunity to a range of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
GeoVax also filed a U.S. patent application as
part of its immunotherapy program, which covers updates in its
innovative MVA viral vector technology to amplify an immune
response to a cancer antigen in a patient via vaccination. Cancer
vaccination is the subject of growing interest as a means to boost
the body’s innate defense to cancer.
David Dodd, GeoVax’s Chairman & CEO,
commented, “These patent filings reflect our continued progress in
advancing high-value development programs while seeking the
strongest intellectual property portfolio possible. We
continue to develop and strengthen our assets within the two
strategic areas of COVID-19 and immuno-oncology, with a focus on
accelerating each towards clinical development. With these
filings, our wholly owned, co-owned, and in-licensed intellectual
property portfolio now stands at over 70 granted or pending patent
applications spread over 20 patent families. Over the past few
months, we have successfully capitalized the Company, strengthened
our balance sheet, expanded our IP portfolio and accelerated
developments to upcoming important data milestones. We look
forward to further advancing our programs and continued growth in
GeoVax value.”
About GeoVax
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage
biotechnology company developing human vaccines against infectious
diseases and cancer using a novel patented Modified Vaccinia
Ankara-Virus Like Particle (MVA-VLP) based vaccine platform. On
this platform, MVA, a large virus capable of carrying several
vaccine antigens, expresses proteins that assemble into VLP
immunogens in the person receiving the vaccine. The production of
VLPs in the person being vaccinated can mimic virus production in a
natural infection, stimulating both the humoral and cellular arms
of the immune system to recognize, prevent, and control the target
infection. The MVA-VLP derived vaccines can elicit durable immune
responses in the host similar to a live-attenuated virus, while
providing the safety characteristics of a replication-defective
vector.
GeoVax’s current development programs are focused
on preventive vaccines against COVID-19, HIV, Zika Virus,
hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa), and
malaria, as well as therapeutic vaccines against multiple cancers.
The Company has designed a preventive HIV vaccine candidate to
fight against the subtype of HIV prevalent in the commercial
markets of the Americas, Western Europe, Japan, and Australia;
human clinical trials for this program are managed by the HIV
Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) with the support of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). GeoVax’s HIV vaccine is also part of
two separate collaborative efforts to apply its innovative gene
therapy approach toward a functional cure for HIV.
About Modified Vaccinia Ankara
(MVA)
The creation of our MVA viral vectors described in
our patent filings was made possible through contribution of
materials and methods developed in the laboratory of Dr. Bernard
Moss of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID), Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD).
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This release contains forward-looking
statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans and financial results.
The words “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,”
“intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is
likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate
to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have
based these forward-looking statements largely on our current
expectations and projections about future events and financial
trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results
of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual
results may differ materially from those included in these
statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax
is able to obtain the patent protection sought, GeoVax’s COVID-19
vaccines can provoke responses to multiple COVID-19 antigens, and
those vaccines can be used effectively as a primary or booster to
other COVID-19 vaccines, GeoVax’s viral vector technology
adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax
can develop and manufacture its vaccines with the desired
characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s vaccines will be safe
for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted
infections in humans, GeoVax’s vaccines will receive regulatory
approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises
required capital to complete vaccine development, there is
development of competitive products that may be more effective or
easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter
into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and other factors, over
which GeoVax has no control.
Further information on our risk factors is
contained in our registration statement on Form S-3 and the
periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and
will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us
herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or
events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge
from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of
them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by
law.
GeoVax Labs,
Inc.678-384-7220investor@geovax.com
GeoVax Labs (NASDAQ:GOVX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
GeoVax Labs (NASDAQ:GOVX)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024