As first reported at our affiliate site BioHealth Investor:

Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE Amex: INO) has been higher by over 160% for most of the morning.  Investors are following the news reports this morning that its SynCon™ H1N1 influenza DNA vaccines achieved protection against current circulating swine origin influenza A/H1N1 viruses in animal studies. Inovio Biomedical is engaged in the design, development, and delivery of a new generation of DNA vaccines, focused on cancers and infectious diseases.

INO previously reported some interim data from an ongoing study in a pig model where the SynCon™ based H1N1 vaccines achieved hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers above the protection threshold in 100% of the vaccinated animals against the swine influenza virus.

Inovio investigators continued that study and tested the immune sera for responses against a virus isolated from the current circulating strain of swine origin influenza A/H1N1.  All the animals immunized with the SynCon™ H1N1 vaccine developed HI titers exceeding the 1:40 level commonly associated with protective immunity.

In a second study, the investigators immunized mice with the NP and m2E components of the vaccine and challenged these animals with a second related strain also isolated from the current circulating influenza A/H1N1. While all mice showed effects of virus challenge as judged by significant weight loss, the vaccinated mice showed a recovery from virus infection-induced morbidity significantly faster compared to the non-immunized control animals in the study.

In a previous study, the vaccine provided 100% protection in a lethal challenge study against an unmatched H1N1 virus that caused the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed over 40 million people worldwide.

The company hopes to create vaccines capable of protecting against emerging pandemic influenza viruses, and noted that the SynCon™ influenza vaccines were developed prior to the emergence of the current swine flu strains. Inovio has created SynCon™ DNA vaccines based on influenza HA, NA, and NP proteins from strains H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and H5N1, which make up the majority of seasonal and pandemic influenza.

The company noted that the resulting vaccines could target seasonal as well as pandemic-potential influenza strains such as avian influenza and swine-origin flu.

Inovio shares are indicated up almost 200% around $2.00 right at the 9:30 opening bell.  Its prior 52-week trading range was only $0.15 to $1.11.  Back around the year 2000, this was significantly higher around $30.00 for a short period of time.

Jon Ogg

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