PENNVAX-GP

PENNVAX-GP is a synthetic DNA vaccine candidate developed to prevent and treat HIV-1 infection. It consists of a combination of four plasmids encoding consensus HIV-1 antigens—env (A and C), gag, and pol—designed to generate both antibody (humoral) and T-cell (cellular) immune responses against multiple global HIV-1 clades. The vaccine is administered via intradermal or intramuscular electroporation, often in combination with a DNA-encoded IL-12 adjuvant (INO-9012), using the CELLECTRA device. Clinical studies have demonstrated that PENNVAX-GP elicits robust, durable immune responses in healthy adult volunteers, with near 100% response rates for both CD4+ T cells and binding antibodies when delivered intradermally with IL-12. The vaccine was developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals using its SynCon technology under significant funding from the NIH/NIAID[1][2][3][5].