Molecular Express announces award of SBIR Phase II funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Advanced Technology program to develop a genital herpes vaccine

RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, Calif. June 23, 2008 -- Molecular Express http://www.molecularexpress.com) announced the receipt of SBIR Advanced Technology Phase I funding from the NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) for the development of a vaccine against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV2), the causative agent of genital herpes. The HSV2 vaccine project will be a collaborative effort between Professors Jill
Adler-Moore of the California State Polytechnic University Pomona and Nigel Bourne of the University Texas Medical Branch and the Molecular Express team. 

Genital Herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in humans.  Epidemiological studies suggest that as many as 1 out of every 6 American adults are infected by HSV2. The disease affects both normal and immunosuppressed adults, and is associated with increased susceptibility to infection by the human immunodeficiency virus. In addition, serious clinical disease can occur in neonates following transmission of HSV2 from their infected mothers and further, these mothers are more likely to develop cervical cancer than non-infected women. Currently, no vaccine to prevent spread of the genital herpes has been approved. Thus, the development of new approaches to immunization against HSV2 remains an important healthcare objective.

Gary Fujii, Ph.D., President and CEO – “The Phase II support from the NIAID represents a significant step for our genital herpes vaccine development program. We look forward to working with our collaborators on this project to develop a safe and effective vaccine against HSV2.”

About Molecular Express
Molecular Express, a subsidiary of Molecular GPS Technologies headquartered in Rancho Dominguez, California is a research and development technology company specializing in the application of life science technologies to address market needs across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company’s lipid and “Molecular Guided Particle Systems” delivery platform is the basis for many active programs.  Molecular Express currently has active research and development projects in the fields of infectious diseases, anti-cancer therapies and regenerative medicine.