Dr. Kim became the CEO of Inovio Pharmaceuticals in June 2009 upon the completion of its merger with VGX Pharmaceuticals, a company he co-founded. Previously, Dr. Kim led efforts at Merck & Co in manufacturing and process development of several FDA-approved products for hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. He co-founded VGX in December 2000 as a start-up based on technology licensed from the University of Pennsylvania and was VGX’s CEO. In a span of less than 10 years, Dr. Kim has guided the advancement of a new type of vaccine, called a DNA vaccine, from early research into human clinical trials -- including vaccines for cancer, HIV, and influenza.
Inovio also received two other Philadelphia Business Journal Life Sciences Awards:
• Best Local Research-Based Company:
Honoring a company based on research originally conducted at a Philadelphia area academic or medical institution or pharmaceutical company.
• Best Incubator Graduate:
Granted to a company that has successfully graduated from a regional incubator and is now operating independently. (VGX Pharmaceuticals began as a start-up vaccine development company in Philadelphia’s University City Science Center Incubator.)
Dr. Kim said, “These awards recognize the efforts of everyone at Inovio and our collaborators whose passion, creativity and determination has led to early stage success for our DNA vaccines that hold the promise to treat and prevent HIV, seasonal and pandemic influenza, and cervical cancer, along with other challenging diseases. While we are proud of our accomplishments to date, we look forward to reaching our goal -- to protect and treat people with a new generation of vaccines.”
An independent panel of judges from leading universities in the state selected the finalists. The judges were: Michael Cleare, associate vice provost for research and executive director of the Center for Technology Transfer at the University of Pennsylvania; Marc Malandro, associate vice chancellor for technology management and commercialization at the University of Pittsburgh; and John R. Taylor, industrial liaison for the corporate life science programs at Lehigh University.
About Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Inovio is developing a new generation of vaccines, called DNA vaccines, to treat and prevent cancers and infectious diseases. These SynCon™ vaccines are designed to provide broad cross-strain protection against known as well as newly emergent strains of pathogens such as influenza. These vaccines, in combination with Inovio’s proprietary electroporation delivery devices, have been shown to be safe and generate significant immune responses. Inovio’s clinical programs include HPV/cervical dysplasia and cancer (therapeutic), avian flu (preventive), and HIV vaccines (both preventive and therapeutic). Inovio is developing universal influenza and other vaccines in collaboration with scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. Other partners and collaborators include Merck, National Cancer Institute, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. More information is available at www.inovio.com.
