VIENNA, Va., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CEL-SCI Corporation
(Amex: CVM) announces that its CEL-1000 immunomodulator was shown to be
able to jump start the immune response against the recombinant hepatitis B
virus protein more quickly than did other vaccine adjuvants. This effect in
the mouse model was seen within 14 days, most pronounced with a single dose
of CEL-1000 at day 0 and resulted in up to a 40% increase in antibody
signal at day 28. Also, the timing of the CEL-1000 administration had
significant impact on the type of immune response that was created, as well
as its strength.
The significance of this data lies in the fact that CEL-1000 appears to
be able to mount a faster immune response, something that is absolutely
necessary for a bio defense or a pandemic flu setting, as well as the
potential ability to create more effective immune responses through the use
of CEL-1000 as an adjuvant. The data were presented by Dr. Daniel H.
Zimmerman, Senior Vice President of Research, Cellular Immunology at
CEL-SCI and involved a collaboration with scientists at several other
institutions including Drs. Kenneth S. Rosenthal Professor of Microbiology
and Immunology at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and
Pharmacy (NEOUCOM), Rootstown, Ohio, Frank Klotz of Biocon, Rockville,
Maryland, Peter Blackburn and Steve Grimes of Mercia-Pharma, New York. The
data were presented at the 47rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial
Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Zimmerman said, "These findings are important not just for our CEL-
1000 adjuvant, but also for any adjuvant because our work has shown that
the timing of the use of the adjuvant and how often it is given have
significant influence on the type and strength of the immune responses
elicited."
In challenge studies, CEL-1000 has also previously been shown to
protect animals against infection against viruses and unrelated diseases,
specifically herpes simplex virus, viral encephalitis and malaria.
CEL-1000 appears to activate innate (very early stage) and Th1 type
(cellular) immune responses to induce a broad-spectrum protection against
infection in animal models. The innate immune system is generally accepted
to be the first line of defense against infectious agents.
CEL-1000, derived from the beta chain of human MHC-II, is a modified
version of a human immune-based protein known to bind to both human and
mouse immune cells and appears to act by enhancing the host's protective
immune response.
About CEL-SCI Corporation:
CEL-SCI Corporation is developing products that empower immune
defenses. Its lead product is Multikine(R). In Phase II clinical trials
Multikine was shown to be safe and well-tolerated, and to improve the
patients' overall survival by 33% at a median of three and a half years
following surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the
go-ahead for a Phase III clinical trial with Multikine in January 2007 and
granted orphan drug status to Multikine in the neoadjuvant therapy of
squamous cell carcinoma (cancer) of the head and neck in May 2007.
Multikine, a patented defined mixture of naturally derived cytokines,
is the first immunotherapeutic agent in a new class of drugs called "Immune
SIMULATORS". Immune SIMULATORS simulate the way our natural immune system
acts in defending us against cancer. As opposed to other immunotherapies
which are designed to target a single or limited number of specific
antigens or molecules, Immune SIMULATORS are multi-targeted; they
simultaneously cause a direct and targeted killing of the specific tumor
cells and they activate the immune system to produce a stronger anti-tumor
attack on multiple fronts.
Multikine is also the first immunotherapeutic agent being developed as
a first-line standard of care treatment for cancer. It is administered
prior to any other cancer therapy because that is the period when the
anti-tumor immune response can still be fully activated. Once the patient
has advanced disease, or had surgery or has received radiation and/or
chemotherapy, the immune system is severely weakened and is less able to
mount an effective anti-tumor immune response. Other immunotherapies are
administered after the patient has received chemotherapy and/or radiation
therapy, which can limit their effectiveness.
The Company has operations in Vienna, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.
CEL-SCI's other products, which are currently in pre-clinical stage, have
shown protection against a number of diseases in animal tests and are being
tested against diseases associated with bio-defense and avian flu.
SOURCE CEL-SCI Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.cel-sci.com
CONTACT:
Gavin de Windt of CEL-SCI Corporation,
+1-703-506-9460 or Jim Szatkowski of Northeastern Ohio
Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, +1-330-325-6675
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