Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company based in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., announced Tuesday a partnership with Ology Bioservices to work on DNA technology transfer to rapidly manufacture COVID-19 DNA vaccines.
Inovio and Ology, a biologics contract development and manufacturing organization, will work together to manufacture Inovio’s DNA vaccine (INO-4800) for the prevention of infection with the COVID-19 virus.
The companies were awarded a Department of Defense (DOD) contract, valued at $11.9 million, for the program, the aim of which is to rapidly and effectively deliver the vaccine to the DOD for upcoming clinical trials.
“Along with advancing INO-4800 through clinical studies as rapidly as possible, Inovio’s goal is to scale up the manufacturing of this vaccine for future studies and for potential emergency use, if appropriate,” Inovio President and CEO J. Joseph Kim said. “Powered by the U.S. Department of Defense support, Inovio is pleased to partner with Ology to enable rapid response manufacture of INO-4800 especially for the nation’s warfighters and other military personnel.
This DOD-funded partnership is a testament to the importance and strength of public-private partnerships in meeting the challenges the world faces with the COVID-19 outbreak. This partnership increases Inovio’s manufacturing capabilities for our COVID vaccine and establishes an additional DNA vaccine manufacturing facility to protect the U.S. military against current and future disease outbreaks.”
The work is supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs with funding from the Defense Health Agency.
“We are sincerely optimistic about the partnership between Inovio and Ology Bioservices, in order to make doses of a vaccine that could potentially protect our military personnel. It is urgently needed,” Matthew Hepburn, joint project lead for CBRN Defense Enabling Biotechnologies, said.