SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vaxart,
Inc. (NASDAQ: VXRT), today announced the creation of an
eight-member Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board.
The Advisory Board, whose first meeting occurred on July 24, 2021, is comprised of medical and health
care professionals who are vaccine, research, and academic experts
in immunology, microbiology, and infectious
diseases.
"We are excited to have such preeminent leaders in their fields
joining our Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board," said
Andrei Floroiu, Vaxart's Chief
Executive Officer. "We believe their participation reflects the
seriousness of our mission, our science, and the disruptive promise
of our oral vaccines. We will benefit from access to their years of
experience and deep expertise as we continue to advance our
portfolio of programs."
"I am excited by the work Vaxart is doing and the promise its
work holds for improving public health," said Advisory Board member
Dr. Robert B. Belshe, Adorjan
Endowed Professor Emeritus of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at
Saint Louis University.
"A room-temperature stable pill has the promise to change how we
vaccinate people both in the U.S. and abroad. An oral tablet
vaccine could help vaccinate more people sooner in more corners of
the world, and thus has the potential to make a major contribution
to public health globally," Dr. Belshe added.
The eight leaders joining Vaxart's Scientific and Clinical
Advisory Board are:
Ralph Baric, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epidemiology,
Microbiology,
and Immunology
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina
Ralph Baric, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor in the
Department of Epidemiology and a Professor in the Department of
Microbiology and Immunology. In addition, he is a World Technology
Award Finalist and a fellow of the American Association for
Microbiology. He has spent the past three decades as a world leader
in the study of coronaviruses and is responsible for UNC-Chapel Hill's world leadership in coronavirus
research.
The Baric Lab uses coronaviruses as models to study the genetics
of RNA virus transcription, replication, persistence, pathogenesis,
genetics, and cross-species transmission. He has used alphavirus
vaccine vectors to develop novel candidate vaccines.
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, Baric was named to Clarivate Analytics'
Highly Cited Researchers list, which recognizes researchers who
have published the most widely cited papers in their field. In
2017, he was awarded a grant from The National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to accelerate the development of a
new drug in the fight against coronaviruses, which is currently in
clinical trials to reverse COVID-19 disease in humans. In this
collaboration, he continued his partnership between the Gillings
School of Global Public Health and Gilead Sciences to focus on an
experimental antiviral treatment that he had previously shown to
prevent the development of severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in mice. The drug was also shown to inhibit
MERS-CoV and multiple other coronaviruses (CoV), suggesting that it
may actually inhibit all CoV. He continues to work with this
drug.
Robert Belshe,
M.D.
Professor Emeritus, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy,
and Immunology,
Founder, Center for Vaccine Development
St. Louis University
Robert Belshe, M.D., directed the
NIH-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) at
St. Louis University for the past three
decades. His clinical and laboratory research interests include the
development of live attenuated respiratory virus vaccines. Recent
clinical projects include the evaluation of novel vaccines for
influenza, including the live attenuated influenza vaccine
available for children and adults aged 2-49. Belshe coordinated 50
other academic centers to evaluate a subunit vaccine for HSV2 in
women ages 18-30. More than 8,300 women participated in the
trial.
Past successes include evaluating haemophilus conjugate vaccines
in infants and pneumococcal vaccines in infants and adults,
demonstrating that smallpox vaccine dilutions could extend the
national vaccine reserve by tenfold, evaluating the efficacy of
acellular pertussis vaccines in college students, and developing a
live attenuated vaccine as an improved vaccine for
influenza.
Collaborations between the Vaccine Center and the Saint Louis University Liver Center led to the
first-in-human studies of a prophylactic vaccine for hepatitis C.
The Division of Infectious Diseases and VTEU have significant
collaborations beyond the University, including the Midwest
Research Center for Excellence for Biodefense Studies.
Stefan Gravenstein,
M.D.
Professor of Medicine,
Director, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative
Care
Brown University
Stefan Gravenstein, M.D., is a
professor in the departments of Medicine and Health Services Policy
and Practice at Brown University's
schools of medicine and public health and serves as the Director of
the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Alpert
Medical School of Brown University.
Dr. Gravenstein has a long-standing interest in immunity, aging
and vaccines, especially in the context of long-term care settings,
topics represented in the majority of his publications.
Gregory Gray,
M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious
Diseases
Duke University School of
Medicine
Gregory C. Gray, M.D., MPH,
FIDSA is an infectious disease epidemiologist and
Professor at Duke University with three
affiliations: The Division of Infectious Diseases in Duke University's School of Medicine, the Duke
Global Health Institute, and the Duke Nicholas School of the Environment. He also
serves as a Professor in the Program in Emerging Infectious
Diseases and the Global Health Institute at Duke-NUS Medical
School, Singapore, and as a
Professor of Global Health at Duke Kunshan University in
China.
He leads the Duke One Health
Network, which involves more than 30 professionals
studying more than 30 pathogens under 30 research and training
projects running in multiple countries: China, Iraq,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, South
Africa, the Philippines,
the United States, and
Vietnam.
Dr. Gray has conducted diverse epidemiological studies of
infectious diseases for 25 years in five continents. He has
authored more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters.
He has authored more than 340 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book
chapters.
Much of his work has involved identifying risk factors for
occupational diseases, particularly for respiratory virus
infections. A strong supporter of the One Health approach, he has
won multiple One Health research and training grants, helped
establish centers of One Health (in the U.S., Romania, and China), and developed four graduate programs
in One Health (PhD, MHS, and
certificate).
He has served on various expert scientific committees and boards
and has won numerous professional awards. In 2019, he was elected
to serve as a member of the prestigious U.S. think tank, the
Council on Foreign Relations.
Harry Greenberg,
M.D.
Joseph D. Grant Professor in the School of
Medicine,
Associate Dean for Research
Stanford University
Harry B. Greenberg, M.D., the
Joseph D. Grant Professor in the School of Medicine and Associate
Dean for Research at Stanford
University was the lead inventor of the first-generation
vaccine for rotavirus, a severe diarrheal disease that kills
between 300,000 and 400,000 children each year in the developing
world.
Dr. Greenberg's current interests are in pathogenic viruses that
infect the GI tract, liver, and respiratory tract. His primary
focus is on molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, viral
determinants of protective immunity, the molecular basis of host
range, virulence and tissue tropism, vaccine development, viral
immunology, and epidemiology, with specific emphasis on the role of
enteric viruses in less developed
countries.
Marion Pepper,
Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Immunology
University of Washington
Marion Pepper graduated with a
bachelor's degree in Biology and English from Williams College and received her Ph.D. in
Immunology in 2006 from the University of
Pennsylvania. She completed postdoctoral training at the
University of Minnesota and joined the
Department of Immunology as an Assistant Professor in 2011, and was
promoted to Associate Professor 2017.
She will be the Interim Chair of the University of Washington (Washington) Department of Immunology,
effective September 2021.
The Pepper Lab at Washington is
investigating the immune memory response to SARS-CoV-2 in adults
who have recovered from mild COVID-19. This immune memory may help
the body fight off the virus in the future. It is also
investigating how previously SARS-CoV2 infected adults respond to
COVID-19 vaccines compared to adults who were not
previously infected.
Stanley A. Plotkin,
M.D.
Emeritus Professor, University of
Pennsylvania
Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Principal, Vaxconsult, LLC
Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D., is an
Emeritus Professor at the University of
Pennsylvania and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Until 1991, he was
Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, Professor of Virology
at the Wistar Institute, and at the same time, Director of
Infectious Diseases and Senior Physician at the Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia. In 1991, Plotkin
left the University to join the vaccine manufacturer,
Pasteur-MĂ©rieux-Connaught, where for seven years he was the Medical
and Scientific Director, based at Marnes-la-Coquette, now known as
Sanofi Pasteur.
Dr. Plotkin has developed several pediatric vaccines, including
the rubella vaccine now in standard use throughout the world and a
recently licensed pentavalent rotavirus vaccine. He has also been
involved in other vaccine development programs, including anthrax,
oral polio, rabies, varicella, and cytomegalovirus.
Dr. Plotkin's bibliography includes nearly 800 articles, and he
has edited several books, including the standard textbook on
vaccines, now in its 7th edition. He is a consultant to vaccine
manufacturers, biotechnology companies, and non-profit research
organizations as principal of Vaxconsult, LLC.
Dr. Plotkin attended New York
University, where he received a B.A. degree, and then the
State University of New York Medical
School in Brooklyn, where he
received an M.D. degree in 1956.
George Siber,
M.D.
Member, Board of Directors, Affinivax
Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine
George R. Siber, M.D., is an
internationally recognized vaccine expert with 40 years of
experience in developing numerous innovative vaccines. From 1975 to
1996, Dr. Siber served on the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University as Assistant and Associate
Professor of Medicine based at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Concurrently, from 1982 to 1996, Dr. Siber was Director of the
Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories. Under his leadership, the
laboratory developed specific immune globulins to CMV (Cytogam) and
to RSV (Respigam) the precursor product to
Synagis.
From 1996 to 2007, Dr. Siber was Executive Vice President and
Chief Scientific Officer of Wyeth Vaccines Research, overseeing the
development, approval, and marketing of six innovative childhood
vaccines including Prevenar, the first pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine, Meningitec, the first Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine,
Rotashield, the first rotavirus vaccine and FluMist, the first live
nasal influenza vaccine.
Dr. Siber currently serves on the Board of Directors of Genocea
and on the Scientific Advisory Boards of CureVac, ILiAD, Valneva,
Vaxess, AdVaccine, CanSino, Vaxxinity and Clover. Dr. Siber has
received multiple awards including the 2016 Albert Sabin Gold Medal
in vaccinology.
About Vaxart
Vaxart is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a range
of oral vaccines based on its proprietary delivery platform called
VAAST™. Vaxart vaccines are designed to be administered using
tablets that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and
eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. Vaxart believes that its
proprietary tablet vaccine delivery platform is suitable to deliver
vaccines, positioning the company to develop oral versions of
currently marketed vaccines and to design vaccines for new
indications. Vaxart's development programs currently include tablet
vaccines designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus,
seasonal influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well
as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), Vaxart's
first immuno-oncology indication. Vaxart has filed broad domestic
and international patent applications covering its proprietary
technology and creations for oral vaccination using adenovirus and
TLR3 agonists.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than
statements of historical facts, included in this press release
regarding Vaxart's strategy, prospects, plans and objectives,
results from pre-clinical and clinical trials, commercialization
agreements and licenses, and beliefs and expectations of management
are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements
may be accompanied by such words as "should," "believe," "could,"
"potential," "will," "expected," "plan," and other words and terms
of similar meaning. Examples of such statements include, but are
not limited to, statements relating to the Advisory Board's impact
on Vaxart's business and future outlook; Vaxart's expectations
regarding clinical results and trial data; and Vaxart's
expectations with respect to the effectiveness of its product
candidates. Vaxart may not actually achieve the plans, carry out
the intentions, or meet the expectations or projections disclosed
in the forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or
events could differ materially from the plans, intentions,
expectations, and projections disclosed in the forward-looking
statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or
events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements
that Vaxart makes, including uncertainties inherent in research and
development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical
endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical
trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates,
and/or launch dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable new
clinical data and further analyses of existing clinical data; the
risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing
interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities; whether
regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and
results from the clinical studies; decisions by regulatory
authorities impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, and safety
that could affect the availability or commercial potential of any
product candidate, including the possibility that Vaxart's product
candidates may not be approved by the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory
authorities; that, even if approved by the FDA or non-U.S.
regulatory authorities, Vaxart's product candidates may not achieve
broad market acceptance; that a Vaxart collaborator may not attain
development and commercial milestones; that Vaxart or its partners
may experience manufacturing issues and delays due to events
within, or outside of, Vaxart's or its partners' control;
difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up initial
production, including difficulties with production costs and
yields, quality control, including stability of the product
candidate and quality assurance testing, shortages of qualified
personnel or key raw materials, and compliance with strictly
enforced federal, state, and foreign regulations; that Vaxart may
not be able to obtain, maintain, and enforce necessary patent and
other intellectual property protection; that Vaxart's capital
resources may be inadequate; Vaxart's ability to resolve pending
legal matters; Vaxart's ability to obtain sufficient capital to
fund its operations on terms acceptable to Vaxart, if at all; the
impact of government healthcare proposals and policies; competitive
factors; and other risks described in the "Risk Factors" sections
of Vaxart's Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the SEC. Vaxart
does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking
statements, except as required by law.
Contacts
Vaxart Media Relations:
Investor Relations:
Mark Herr
Matt Steinberg
Vaxart, Inc.
Finn Partners
mherr@vaxart.com
IR@Vaxart.com
(203) 517-8957
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SOURCE Vaxart, Inc.