CMV Vaccine

Congenital CMV infection is the leading infectious cause of birth defects in the U.S. and, of the 40,000 infections annually, 7,500-10,000 result in serious sequelae for the affected infant including mental retardation and deafness. The significance of CMV-related illness was highlighted in a 1999 report written by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Academy of Sciences; their report estimated the cost of treating CMV-related symptoms in the U.S. at more than $4 billion per year. Based on these findings, the IOM categorized a CMV prophylactic vaccine as the highest priority vaccine target on the basis of cost-effectiveness.

In addition to a universal prophylactic vaccine for CMV, there is a significant need for immunotherapeutic intervention against CMV infection during organ or stem cell transplantation, when patients' immune systems must be suppressed to prevent tissue rejection. A CMV alphavaccine for this target population is projected to have a rapid product development path. We have demonstrated impressive protection in a neonatal guinea pig CMV model using the alphavaccine system and have advanced a candidate vaccine product into Phase 1 clinical trials initiated in April of 2007.