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CRANBURY,
NJ,
May
6,
2009
–
VaxInnate
Corporation,
a
biotechnology
company
pioneering
breakthrough
technology
that
could
dramatically
improve
the
potency,
manufacturing
capacity
and
cost
effectiveness
of
vaccines,
today
announced
the
closing
of
$30
million
in
new
Series
D
financing,
led
by
its
newest
investor,
The
Wellcome
Trust.
New
Leaf
Venture
Partners,
Canaan
Partners,
HealthCare
Ventures,
Oxford
Bioscience
Partners,
MedImmune
Ventures
and
CHL
Medical
Ventures,
representing
all
existing
shareholders,
also
participated
in
the
financing.
The
funds
will
be
used
for
the
development
of
the
company’s
vaccines
for
infectious
diseases
that
include
influenza,
human
papillomavirus
(HPV),
respiratory
syncytial
virus
(RSV)
and
dengue.
Specifically,
the
Company
plans
to
fund
several
clinical
trials,
including
a
Phase
II
clinical
trial
of
its
M2e
universal
flu
vaccine
and
a
Phase
I
clinical
trial
of
its
seasonal
flu
vaccine
in
an
elderly
population.
VaxInnate
is
already
working
on a
prototype
swine
flu
vaccine
that
could
be
available
for
preclinical
animal
studies
in
as
early
as
six
weeks.
If
successful,
VaxInnate’s
swine
flu
vaccine
could
be
manufactured
in a
matter
of
weeks
and
at
volumes
sufficient
to
rapidly
meet
global
vaccination
needs.
“We’re
delighted
to
add
The
Wellcome
Trust
to
our
roster
of
shareholders
and
gratified
to
see
our
investors’
continuing
interest
in
VaxInnate,”
said
CEO
Alan
Shaw,
PhD.
“The
additional
funding
will
make
it
possible
for
us
to
continue
advancing
our
flu
vaccines
forward
to
market
and
to
support
the
application
of
our
technology
platform
to
vaccines
for
other
infectious
diseases,
among
them
HPV,
RSV
and
the
emerging
swine
flu.”
The
Wellcome
Trust
is
the
world’s
largest
medical
research
charity
and
the
largest
charity
in
the
United
Kingdom.
The
Wellcome
Trust
funds
innovative
biomedical
research
in
the
UK
and
internationally
to
produce
knowledge
that
can
be
used
to
protect
and
improve
human
and
animal
health,
investing
more
than
£600
million
annually
to
support
the
brightest
scientists
with
the
best
ideas.
“Wellcome
is
very
pleased
to
support
the
development
of
VaxInnate’s
proprietary
technology
and
innovative
vaccines,
having
recognized
both
the
scientific
validation
and
the
commercial
value
of
its
approach,”
said
Julie
Eskay-Eagle
of
The
Wellcome
Trust.
Eskay-Eagle,
who
heads
the
healthcare
team
for
The
Wellcome
Trust’s
investment
division,
joined
the
VaxInnate
Board
of
Directors.
“We
believe
VaxInnate’s
paradigm-shifting
vaccine
technology
platform
is
positioned
to
address
key
challenges
in
the
marketplace
at a
time
when
industry,
government
and
the
public
sector
are
working
together
to
improve
our
ability
to
meet
global
health
needs,”
said
Board
member
Seth
Berkley,
MD,
president
and
founder
of
the
International
AIDS
Vaccine
Initiative
(IAVI)
and
a
specialist
in
infectious
disease,
epidemiology
and
international
health.
“We
welcome
Julie
Eskay-Eagle
to
the
VaxInnate
Board
and
look
forward
to
benefiting
from
her
experience
and
counsel.”
About
VaxInnate
VaxInnate
is a
privately-held
biotechnology
company
in
Cranbury,
NJ
that
is
pioneering
breakthrough
technology
for
use
in
developing
novel
and
proprietary
vaccines.
VaxInnate’s
technology
has
the
potential
to
dramatically
improve
the
potency,
manufacturing
capacity
and
cost-effectiveness
of
vaccines.
VaxInnate’s
first
vaccines
focus
on
infectious
diseases,
including
seasonal
and
pandemic
flu,
malaria,
dengue,
human
papillomavirus
and
respiratory
syncytial
virus.
In
2008
and
2009,
VaxInnate
generated
positive
Phase
I
clinical
data
for
its
first
two
vaccines,
a
universal
flu
vaccine
and
a
seasonal
flu
vaccine.
For
more
information
about
VaxInnate,
please
visit
http://www.vaxinnate.com.
###
Contact:
Janet
Skidmore
Office:
215-658-4915
Mobile:
215-429-2917
skidmorecomm@earthlink.net
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