March 24, 2020 -- The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded Ology Bioservices and Inovio Pharmaceuticals an $11.9 million contract to rapidly manufacture DNA vaccines, the companies announced on March 24. Ology, a biologics contract development and manufacturing organization, will work with Inovio's DNA technology platform.
The grant is supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs with funding from the Defense Health Agency. It will enable the companies to work with Inovio's DNA vaccine (INO-4800) for protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The goal of the program is to rapidly and efficiently deliver the vaccine to the Department of Defense for upcoming clinical trials.
The combination of Ology's manufacturing resources and expertise and Inovio's promising vaccine candidate will enable the companies to offer a vaccine to protect the U.S. military and the entire nation against current and future disease outbreaks, according to the companies.