Cel-Sci Gains Full Control OF HGP-30 HIV Vaccine

Following the presentation of encouraging data at the XI International Conference on AIDS, Cel-Sci of the USA has purchased all the remaining rights to an experimental AIDS vaccine product originally developed by Nippon Zeon of Japan. The third and final transaction involved the transfer of 45,000 shares of Cel-Sci common stock to the Japanese firm. HGP-30 is a synthetic copy of a highly-conserved part of the p17 core protein of HIV.

Now that the rights to HGP-30 remain entirely in-house, Cel-Sci will not have to pay any royalties or milestone payments should the vaccine reach the market. Furthermore, the company is now free to seek partners for the future development of the product.

Preclinical Data At the AIDS Conference, James Kahn of the University of California at San Francisco, USA, reported that 78% of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice which had received peripheral blood lymphocytes from human volunteers previously challenged with a primary vaccination with HGP-30 and two boosters, were protected against challenge with HIV. Only 13% of mice which received PBLs from unvaccinated volunteers were protected.