CEL-SCI expands work on current H1N1 virus vaccine

CEL-SCI Corporation has announced that it is expanding the scope of its work towards creating a novel treatment and vaccination against the current H1N1 virus, as well as a future mutated form in which the virus has acquired greater morbidity and mortality.

The new work will add regions of the hemagglutinin molecule which are highly conserved and essential for the virus' survival. This work comes on top of the ongoing work being conducted against other non-changing parts of the virus. CEL-SCI scientists believe that the combination of various non-changing regions on the virus in one treatment or vaccine will allow for a greater ability to treat and protect against the current H1N1 virus and any possible future mutation.

CEL-SCI has two on-going research programs directed towards the H1N1 virus. The first one is directed against a future mutated form of the virus. It is the fear of many experts that the H1N1 virus will continue to mutate and "swap genes" to become more lethal. CEL-SCI is focused on creating a treatment/vaccine against such a virus by combining non-changing parts of the H1N1 virus, the Avian Flu virus and the Spanish Flu virus. When a new virus surfaces, this treatment/vaccine is expected to provide an important cornerstone for the fight against the virus.

The second program is directed at helping very sick patients infected with the current form of H1N1. CEL-SCI expects to give updated communication on that program within the next month.

CEL-SCI's L.E.A.P.S.(TM) (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) technology allows the Company to direct an immune response against a specific disease epitope, in this case non-changing regions of H1N1, Avian Flu and the Spanish Flu. This makes it possible to 1) program the intended immune response and 2) avoid the administration of regions of the H1N1, and other viruses, that may exacerbate the problem of cytokine storm. Cytokine storm is very much involved in the death of many H1N1 patients.

The L.E.A.P.S. technology combines a small peptide that activates the immune system with a small peptide from a disease-related protein, such as the H1N1 hemagglutinin molecule, to make a vaccine that induces a defined immune response. Each L.E.A.P.S. construct is composed of a T cell binding ligand (TCBL) which has previously demonstrated the ability to induce and elicit protective immunity and antigen specific antibody production in animal models. In CEL-SCI's L.E.A.P.S. swine flu vaccine the TCBLs will be coupled to three different highly conserved protective epitopes from three different essential proteins common to all influenza A virus strains.

L.E.A.P.S. technology is a novel T-cell modulation platform technology that enables CEL-SCI to design and synthesize proprietary immunogens. Any disease for which an antigenic sequence has been identified, such as infectious, parasitic, malignant or autoimmune diseases and allergies, are potential therapeutic or preventive sites for the application of L.E.A.P.S. technology.