EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: DVAX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel vaccines, today announced it is collaborating with the University of Queensland (UQ) as part of a Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) initiative to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Dynavax is providing technical expertise and the Company’s proprietary toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist adjuvant, CpG 1018, to support this initiative.
CpG 1018 is the adjuvant used in HEPLISAV-B® [Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted], an adult hepatitis B vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dynavax developed CpG 1018 to provide an increased vaccine immune response, which has been demonstrated in HEPLISAV-B. CpG 1018 provides a well‑developed technology and a significant safety database, potentially accelerating the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
CEPI, in conjunction with the World Health Organization, is leading multiple programs/partnerships that seek to improve the scientific understanding of the novel coronavirus, and to develop vaccines against it. UQ and CEPI established a partnership in January 2019 focused on developing a “molecular clamp” vaccine platform, a technology that enables targeted and rapid vaccine production against multiple viral pathogens. Building on this existing partnership, CEPI requested UQ use its recently developed rapid response technology, which allows for the rapid generation of new vaccines from the knowledge of a virus’s genetic sequence information, to develop a new vaccine against COVID-19.
“The comprehensive humanitarian response to address the risk of COVID-19 by the vaccine development community is a testament to the dedication our industry has to global public health,” commented Ryan Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of Dynavax. “We are proud to contribute to this global effort to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in collaboration with the exceptional team of researchers at the University of Queensland.”
About Dynavax
Dynavax is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel vaccines. The Company launched its first commercial product, HEPLISAV-B® [Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted], in February 2018, following U.S. FDA approval for prevention of infection caused by all known subtypes of hepatitis B virus in adults age 18 years and older. For more information, visit www.dynavax.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.
About University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is one of Australia’s leading research and teaching institutions, a global top 50 university, ranked first in Australia and ninth in the world for biotechnology. www.uq.edu.au.
About Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations, launched at Davos in 2017, to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. CEPI has reached over US$750 million of its $1 billion funding target. CEPI’s priority diseases include Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, Nipah virus, Rift Valley Fever and Chikungunya virus. CEPI also invests in platform technologies that can be used for rapid vaccine and immunoprophylactic development against unknown pathogens (ie, Disease X). To date, CEPI has committed to investing over $475 million in vaccine and platform development. Learn more at cepi.net. Follow us at @CEPIvaccines.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements regarding the potential to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and to do so on an accelerated basis. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in vaccine research and development, including the timing of completing development, the results of clinical trials, and whether and when the vaccine will be approved for use, as well as other risks detailed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to revise or update information herein to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available. Information on Dynavax's website at www.dynavax.com is not incorporated by reference in our current periodic reports with the SEC.
Contacts:
Nicole Arndt, Senior Manager, Investor Relations
narndt@dynavax.com
510-665-7264
Derek Cole, President
Investor Relations Advisory Solutions
derek.cole@IRadvisory.com