Partnered Programs

We have established relationships with a range of pharmaceutical companies and public agencies. These relationships have allowed us to advance our technology development and manufacturing process in-house, as well as to expand the alphavaccine product pipeline.

Our partnering strategy involves licensing certain applications of our technology to major vaccine companies and biotech firms while building an integrated vector development, manufacturing, and regulatory platform to explore new disease targets of our own. Corporate partnerships and grant revenues are expected to cover a significant portion of our operating expenses during the development phase.

Some of our partners and collaborators include:

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In September of 2001, we entered into an exclusive license with Progenics to develop an alphavaccine product expressing PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen), an antigen that is over-expressed in prostate and other cancers.

National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its Division of AIDS Vaccine Research and Prevention Program, has been a long-standing supporter of and active participant in our HIV program. NIH provides funding, support for preclinical testing, and active sponsorship of the Phase I clinical trial program through its HIV Vaccine Trial Network.

Since mid-2002, our collaboration with NIH has been under the formal auspices of an NIH cooperative research grant and, subsequently, a vaccine design and development contract. In addition, our influenza, SARS, biodefense, and HIV activities are funded by NIH.

South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative
The South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) is an organization formed by the government of South Africa and administered by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to coordinate that country's efforts to develop an effective AIDS vaccine. We collaborate with SAAVI, the University of Cape Town, and other partners in South Africa in its lead HIV program. In addition, we have provided GMP material for one ongoing and one planned clinical trial.

International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
In 1998, we were selected by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to be one of the two original Vaccine Development Partnerships to develop and translate a vaccine technology for HIV. We were supported by this partnership through mid-2002, when support of the HIV program was assumed by NIH.