BALTIMORE, MD, Profectus BioSciences, Inc. (Profectus), a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against infectious diseases and cancers, announced today it has received a commitment of additional funding from the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI). The funds will support proof-of-concept studies in non-human primates with proprietary, plasmid DNA (pDNA, delivered using the electroporation (EP) based TriGrid™delivery system (TriGrid) developed by Ichor Medical Systems) and recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vector technologies towards the development of a preventive malaria vaccine.

Dr. John Eldridge, Chief Scientific Officer at Profectus BioSciences, commented, "The additional funding from MVI will enable us to build on very promising preliminary animal immunogenicity data obtained with plasmid DNA and rVSV vectors in a prime-boost vaccination regimen. We believe our vaccine technology can be successfully applied to a wide range of pathogens, including malaria, which has proven to be a very challenging target for vaccine development."

Dr. Eldridge continued, "Malaria is a global problem that causes great human suffering. MVI's mission to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and to ensure their availability in the developing world is a very important cause. We look forward to a continued and fruitful collaboration with MVI in the effort to develop an efficacious malaria vaccine."

About Ichor Medical Systems

Ichor is dedicated to the clinical application and commercialization of electroporation technology for the delivery of DNA drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent debilitating or life threatening diseases. The company's proprietary TriGrid™ Delivery System enables the efficient delivery of DNA drugs to address unmet medical needs in areas including therapeutic cancer vaccines, therapeutic proteins and vaccines for serious infectious disease.

About Profectus BioSciences Vaccine Platforms

Profectus has two key vaccine vector platforms, pDNA and rVSV that can be sequentially administered in a "prime/boost" regimen to elicit a potent and durable immune response to target pathogens. Each of these vectors alone is capable of inducing a best-in-class immune response. Furthermore, when these vectors are sequentially employed in a prime/boost regimen, immune responses of significantly greater magnitude and quality are generated. This approach has the potential to make significant advances in the development of vaccine technologies. Profectus has a broad intellectual property estate governing these vaccine platforms and other innovations.

About Profectus BioSciences, Inc.

Profectus BioSciences, Inc. is a technology-based vaccine company devoted to the treatment and prevention of chronic viral diseases with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality. Since its inception in 2003, the Company's strategic intent has been to acquire and develop the technologies needed to deliver on that mission. The Company has in-licensed a group of vaccine-based technologies from Wyeth Vaccines (now part of Pfizer, Inc.) that greatly accelerate its ability to deliver highly effective preventive and therapeutic vaccines based on a "prime-boost" strategy. This strategy uses the delivery of a best-in-class plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccine to "prime" the immune system, followed by a first-in-class "boost" using a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vector. Current disease and virus targets include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human papilloma virus (HPV), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and Ebola/Marburg viruses, in addition to malaria.