AlphaVax Begins Clinical Trials With Vaccines for CMV and Flu

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- AlphaVax, Inc. announces that immunization of volunteers has been initiated in clinical trials evaluating vaccines for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and influenza developed with the company's novel alphavaccine technology.

In the first study, healthy volunteers are being immunized with a human version of an alphavaccine that was shown to be effective in protecting against congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in a preclinical study published in the March 15, 2007 issue of the Journal of Infectious Disease. Results from this clinical trial will be used to design future studies in target populations such as solid organ transplant recipients.

In the second study, volunteers are being immunized with an influenza alphavaccine that contains the hemagglutinin gene from a single strain of influenza and was shown to be effective in protecting animals against experimental influenza infection. Subsequent trials will test additional vaccine candidates for seasonal and potentially pandemic strains of influenza.

"CMV and influenza are two diseases of major public health importance," said Dr. Jeff Chulay, AlphaVax's chief medical officer. "These clinical trials are an important step towards delivering products based on our vaccine technology to those who can benefit from them."

These projects were funded in part by grants AI62632 and AI060060 from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

Source: AlphaVax, Inc.