Nonhuman Primate Testing of Sudan and Marburg Vaccine Candidates Demonstrates Efficacious Immune Response
Atlanta, GA – 
(NewMediaWire) – December 03, 2021 – GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a biotechnology company specializing in developing human vaccines and cancer immunotherapies, presented data from ongoing studies of its investigational vaccines against hemorrhagic fevers (Sudan, Ebola, & Marburg) at the recent World Vaccine & Immunotherapy Congress, held November 30 – December 2 in San Diego, California. The presentation, titled “Design and Evaluation of Vaccines Against Hemorrhagic Fevers using the MVA-VLP Platform”, was delivered by Mary Hauser, PhD, GeoVax Senior Scientist.
In her talk, Dr. Hauser discussed the preclinical efficacy of GeoVax’s vaccines against Sudan (SUDV) and Marburg (MARV) viruses, two highly virulent filovirus strains that cause hemorrhagic fever. Using the GV-MVA-VLPTM platform, vaccines were engineered to express two proteins from the target pathogen resulting in the formation of virus-like particles that retain the native virus structure. Recent studies in lethal challenge guinea pig models demonstrated that GeoVax vaccines MVA-VLP-SUDV and MVA-VLP-MARV conferred 100% protection from death. These vaccines were subsequently evaluated in a rigorous cynomolgus macaque infectious challenge model. Vaccination protected nonhuman primates from viremia, weight loss and death following challenge with a dose of Sudan or Marburg virus that is lethal in nonvaccinated animals. Evaluation of immune responses following vaccination demonstrated presence of both neutralizing antibodies and functional T cells, indicating a breadth of responses that combine for optimal protection. Dr. Hauser’s presentation is available on GeoVax’s website at www.geovax.com/investors/events.
Mark Newman, PhD, GeoVax Chief Scientific Officer, commented, “The ability of vaccines based on the GV-MVA-VLP platform to induce protective immunity from such deadly pathogens is impressive. We believe these results support further development efforts with our partners and collaborators towards clinical evaluation to document safety and immunogenicity in humans.”
This research project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds under a Preclinical Services Contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
About the GV-MVA-VLPTM Platform
GeoVax’s GV-MVA-VLPTM vaccine platform utilizes Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), a large virus capable of carrying several vaccine antigens, that expresses proteins that assemble into virus-like particles (VLP) immunogens in the person receiving the vaccine. The production of VLPs in the person being vaccinated can mimic the virus production that occurs in a natural infection, stimulating both the humoral and cellular arms of the immune system to recognize, prevent, and control the target infection. The MVA-VLP derived vaccines can elicit durable immune responses in the host similar to a live-attenuated virus, while providing the safety characteristics of a replication-defective vector.
About GeoVax
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing human vaccines and immunotherapies against infectious diseases and cancer using novel proprietary platforms. The Company’s portfolio of wholly owned, co-owned, and in-licensed intellectual property, stands at over 70 granted or pending patent applications spread over 20 patent families.
GeoVax’s product pipeline includes ongoing human clinical trials in COVID-19, head and neck cancer, and HIV. Additional research and development programs include preventive vaccines against Zika Virus, hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa) and malaria, as well as immunotherapies for multiple solid tumors.
For additional information about GeoVax, visit our website: www.geovax.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans. The words “believe,” “look forward to,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax’s viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.
Further information on our risk factors is contained in our registration statement on Form S-3 and the periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by U.S. federal securities law.
GeoVax Labs, Inc.
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investor@geovax.com