Posted by: Jessie Scanlon on September 23, 2009
I didn’t know half of the words that Joseph Kim, the CEO & Director of Inovio Biomedical, used in his EmTech presentation but I walked away with a new appreciation for vaccines — present and future.
The gist: Vaccines have saved more lives than any other human invention. While the traditionally-developed vaccines used to guard against diseases such as polio and various poxes, have saved millions of lives and prevented suffering, there are significant shortcomings to the traditional vaccine-development approach. Inovio and others are developing DNA-based vaccines that are cheaper to manufacture, safer to give, and last longer, so that you wouldn’t have to get a new flu shot every year.
Doesn´t the flu virus mutate? Would it not then require a new shot for the flu strain?
Great news. I can remember backin the yr 2000 and I owned CRA and it's soaring like an eagle. May be INO will be the same.
Wow -- great article. Where's the rest of it. Some details would be helpful.
Jessie, Excellent and inspiring TED Talk related to this. The talk, by Bonnie Bassler, is about "How Bacteria Communicate" and how future medications might take advantage of the communication thresholds. Her talk is posted on the TED site here,
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/bonnie_bassler_on_how_bacteria_communicate.html
Thanks so much, Andy, for posting the link to the TED Talk. (And I hope you're well -- we must connect.)
Rick and Vincent -- I'm setting up an interview with Dr. Kim, so send along any questions you'd like me to ask him.
Best,
jess
Ive been with this company for 3 years now and love be an investor in it. Like anything else, it goes up and down, but overall long term these guys have a mirical in the works. About the mutated flu strand post above .... their flu vac is for nearly ANY mutation possible. The swine flu vac they are currently working on is 100% effective in animal testing as well as any mutated strand of the swine. This company is something special and look for more and more news about their results as they approach human testing.
What comes next? The BusinessWeek Innovation and Design team of Michael Arndt and Helen Walters chronicle new tools for creativity and collaboration, innovation case studies in both the corporate and social sectors, and the new ideas that have the power to change the way things have always been done.