Benzinga | Jan 27, 2022 08:11AM EST

PDS Biotech Announces Preclinical Data For PDS0202 Universal Influenza Vaccine

PDS Biotechnology Corporation (NASDAQ:PDSB), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing novel cancer therapies and infectious disease vaccines based on the Company's proprietary Versamune(r) and Infectimune(tm) T-cell activating technologies, today announced preclinical data for its universal flu vaccine, which was shown to be effective against multiple strains of the influenza virus.



Due to the existence of multiple strains of flu, a new seasonal flu vaccination is usually developed to provide protection against the strains predicted to be prevalent in an upcoming flu season. As a result, the protective efficacy of the current vaccines varies widely from season to season. PDS Biotechnology is developing a new generation of flu vaccines with the potential to provide long-lasting, and broad protection against multiple strains of the virus. We believe that the successful development of a universal flu vaccine could eliminate the need to create a vaccine to protect against each year's predicted variants. According to the World Health Organization, influenza causes 3 to 5 million cases and approximately 290,000 to 650,000 deaths each year.

PDS0202 combines PDS Biotech's proprietary Infectimune(tm) technology with proprietary COBRA (Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigens) designed by renowned influenza expert Dr. Ted Ross. PDS Biotech announced an agreement with the University of Georgia to license the COBRA antigens.

The NIAID-sponsored preclinical work was performed by Dr. Jerold Woodward at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and Dr. Ted Ross at the University of Georgia, in collaboration with PDS Biotech. Dr. Ted Ross is Principal Investigator at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Center (CIVICs) located at the University of Georgia. The studies demonstrated the ability of PDS0202 to promote robust induction of broadly neutralizing influenza -specific antibodies, flu-specific CD4 (helper) and CD8 (killer) T-cells, as well as long-lasting memory T-cells. This well characterized and robust immune response to the COBRA antigens suggests strong potential for broad and long-term protection against multiple strains of influenza.

"We are excited by the highly promising preclinical results generated in collaboration with Drs. Woodward and Ross," said Dr. Lauren V. Wood, MD, Chief Medical Officer of PDS Biotech. "The COBRA antigens provide an innovative approach to generating broadly effective immune responses against influenza, which when combined with our Infectimune(tm) platform may provide effective neutralization and protection against infection. The data suggest that PDS0202, has the potential to overcome the well documented limitations faced in developing a universal influenza vaccine."

"The novel mechanisms by which the PDS Biotech-patented lipids activate critical immunological pathways may allow us to develop a new generation of vaccines that could be more effective in protecting us from infectious pathogens like influenza and Covid-19," stated Jerold Woodward, Ph.D., Professor of Immunology at the University of Kentucky, College of Medicine.

"The preclinical results show the potential for PDS0202 to be effective in preventing viral invasion of the lungs by multiple strains of the influenza virus," stated Ted Ross, Ph.D., Professor, and Director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia. "We look forward to seeing the PDS0202-COBRA vaccine in future human trials."