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Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc. announced today that they have begun evaluation of the efficacy of the JuvImmuneTM immunostimulant platform in PuntaToro virus infection models in conjunction with researchers at the Institute for Antiviral Research of Utah State University sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The company anticipates testing of the JuvImmuneTM platform in other relevant viral model systems upon demonstration of efficacy in the PuntaToro virus model. PuntaToro virus is closely related to the African and Middle Eastern Rift Valley fever and sandfly fever viruses which have had devastating effects in those countries and are now considered significant to the United States because of biodefense concerns. Juvaris JuvImmuneTM technology is capable of rapidly activating the innate immune response for the production of anti-viral interferons (alpha, beta & gamma) as well as IL-12 and TNF-alpha. These cytokines are the first-line of defense against viral agents and are critical for induction of subsequent specific immune responses. Preclinical results from rodent, canine and non-human primate studies have demonstrated substantial amplification of immune responses by the JuvImmuneTM immunostimulant. "We are pleased to be working with the NIH and the Institute for Antiviral Research at Utah State University to evaluate the Juvaris immunostimulant technology. We believe this product has significant broad-based applicability in both chronic and acute viral infections" said Martin D. Cleary, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Juvaris. "As has been consistently established in numerous preclinical testing, the JuvImmuneTM platform significantly outperforms all current state-of-the-art immunostimulants including those regarded as today's gold standard." About Juvaris Juvaris BioTherapeutics was created in 2002 to develop an immunotherapeutic product platform for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer using lipid-DNA complexes. Cationic lipids are formulated with non-coding DNA (plasmid) to create JuvImmuneTM, a single lipid-DNA complex, which as an immunostimulation product will have utility in a number of non-antigen immunotherapeutic applications. The DNA in these complexes does not code for protein, but rather, through a combined synergistic effect with lipids, strongly stimulates immune responses. The JuvImmuneTM product has been shown to be at least 50-times more potent at triggering innate immune activation and interferon release than current immune stimulants. Juvaris was recently issued Patent No. 6,693,086 titled "Systemic Immune Activation Method Using Nucleic Acid-Lipid Complexes" providing broad intellectual property coverage for the JuvImmuneTM technology. When combined with disease-specific antigens, the technology creates JuvaVaxTM vaccines capable of activating substantial antibody- and cell-mediated immune responses, particularly induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Immunological responses elicited by the lipid-DNA complexes have been successfully demonstrated in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings in a variety of mammals including rodents, rabbits, cats, dogs and non-human primates. This technology provides the opportunity to develop many disease-specific vaccine products, for which there are significant unmet medical needs. Over the past six months, the Company has announced collaborations or investigational studies with Cell Genesys, SomaGenics, the University of California-San Francisco, Penn State University, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and now the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Institute for Antiviral Research at Utah State University. The Company encourage investment and partnering inquiries and can be reached at their websites @ www.juvaris.com. Company Contact: |