DNA vaccines are the holy grail of immunotherapy. Once the DNA sequence of a protein from a pathogen is known and synthesized, it can be prepared in a plasmid (a small circular piece of DNA), injected into cells and a degraded fragment of the protein presented on the cell surface by Human Mast Cell I or II for destruction by t cells.
The therapy works in vitro and in animals. In humans, the uptake of the DNA plasmid is greatly facilitated by electroporation:
Inovio just presented data that show that its DNA vaccine increased HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) removal from 13% (placebo) to 40% with robust t cell response. Pre-cancerous lesion removal was increased from 30% (placebo) to 49%.
Inovio's stock is under strong attack by short sellers. These folk borrow INO stock and sell it, thus reducing the price of INOVIO. They do this to stop Inovio from selling stock at a good price and financing its activities including doing a Phase III study to have the FDA approve the treatment. Small pharma companies are often the target of the short sellers. Their hope (of the short sellers) is that they can bankrupt the company by driving its price into the cellar.
Should the company succeed, the short sellers will pay dearly.
The company has a number of trials in the starting phase.
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