LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ and PHILADELPHIA, PA, Jan. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IMUNON, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMNN), a clinical-stage drug development company, and The Wistar Institute, a global leader in biomedical research located in the heart of University City, Philadelphia, through its Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, announce the signing of a first collaborative research agreement to research and develop new vaccine formulations utilizing IMUNON’s PLACCINE modality for the development of vaccines for infectious diseases. IMUNON’s platform technologies are based on the delivery of nucleic acids with novel synthetic delivery systems.

“We are delighted to enter into this collaborative research agreement with The Wistar Institute Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, possessing world renowned expertise in cancer, immunology, infectious diseases, and vaccine creation. Wistar is uniquely positioned to advance new vaccine formulations in collaboration with IMUNON,” said Dr. Corinne Le Goff, President and Chief Executive Officer of IMUNON. “This collaboration will facilitate further expansion and development of PLACCINE with the goal of expanding vaccine targets ideally matched for our novel formulated DNA delivery platform and further optimizing quality attributes and the immunity of products.”

About IMUNON

IMUNON is a fully integrated, clinical stage biotechnology company focused on advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments that harness the body’s natural mechanisms to generate safe, effective and durable responses across a broad array of human diseases, constituting a differentiating approach from conventional therapies.

IMUNON has two platform technologies: the TheraPlas modality for the development of immunotherapies and other anti-cancer nucleic acid-based therapies, and the PLACCINE modality for the development of nucleic acid vaccines for infectious diseases and cancer. The company’s lead clinical program, GEN-1, is a DNA-based immunotherapy for the localized treatment of advanced ovarian cancer currently in Phase II development. GEN-1 works by instructing the body to produce safe and durable levels of powerful cancer-fighting molecules, such as interleukin-12 and interferon gamma, at the tumor site. Additionally, the company is conducting preclinical proof-of-concept studies on a nucleic acid vaccine candidate targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus to validate its PLACCINE platform. IMUNON’s platform technologies are based on the delivery of nucleic acids with novel synthetic delivery systems that are independent of viral vectors or devices. IMUNON will continue to leverage these platforms and to advance the technological frontier of nucleic acid-based products to better serve patients with difficult-to-treat conditions. For more information on IMUNON, visit www.imunon.com.

About The Wistar Institute

The Wistar Institute, the first independent, nonprofit, private biomedical research institution in the U.S., marshals the talents of an international team of outstanding scientists through a highly enabled culture of biomedical collaboration and innovation to solve some of the world’s most challenging and important problems in the field of cancer, immunology and infectious diseases, and produce groundbreaking advances in world health. The Wistar Institute’s history of researching and supporting development of new vaccines and biologics against targets of global importance including Rabies, Rubella, Rotavirus, Cell lines for Live Attenuated vaccines, polio vaccine strains, New Adenoviral vaccines, Nucleic Acid based vaccines as well as for generating of biologics makes them a strong partner.

Consistent with a pioneering legacy of leadership in not-for-profit biomedical research and a track record of life-saving contributions in immunology and cell biology, Wistar scientists pursue new and courageous research paths to life science discovery, and to accelerate the impact of early-stage discoveries by shortening the path from bench to bedside. 

Its Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center works in immunology, virology and other research disciplines to improve public health around the globe through the creation of new vaccines for some of the most dangerous and widespread diseases. Building on the most recent advances in vaccine and immunotherapy technology, the Center also develops novel immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer. For more information on The Wistar Institute, please visit www.wistar.org.

Forward-Looking Statements

IMUNON wishes to inform readers that forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, unforeseen changes in the course of research and development activities and in clinical trials; the uncertainties of and difficulties in analyzing interim clinical data; the significant expense, time and risk of failure of conducting clinical trials; the need for IMUNON to evaluate its future development plans; possible acquisitions or licenses of other technologies, assets or businesses; possible actions by customers, suppliers, competitors or regulatory authorities; and other risks detailed from time to time in IMUNON’s periodic reports and prospectuses filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. IMUNON assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise.

Contacts

IMUNON
Jeffrey W. Church
Executive Vice President, CFO and Corporate Secretary
609-482-2455
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LHA Investor Relations
Kim Sutton Golodetz
212-838-3777
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The Wistar Institute
Darien Sutton
215-898-3988
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