THERAVECTYS, a biotechnology company that is developing a new generation of vaccines based on lentiviral vector technology, announced today that it has secured 7.48 million euros as of the end of H1 2012. These funds, raised exclusively from private investors, will enable THERAVECTYS to pursue the development of a new generation of vaccines, with an anti-HIV therapeutic vaccine as first priority.

For this third funding round, Guy PAILLAUD, former executive manager of PROMODES, and John PIETERS, former CEO of AMGEN France-some of the company's historical investors-have been joined by 10 new private investors, which include BETTENCOURT family, Philippe ODDO and Richard HENNESSY.

In particular, this new amount of funds raised will enable the company to fund:

Phase I/II of the clinical trial of its anti-HIV vaccine candidate;
The development of new vaccine candidates based on lentiviral vector technology and concerning other indications;
The planning of new laboratories that are larger and can better accommodate the company's development
"We thank our investors-both old and new-for the trust that they have placed in us. Thanks to their support, within the next two years we hope to be able to demonstrate in humans not only the safety but also the potential effectiveness of our anti-HIV vaccine candidate," says Renaud VAILLANT, CEO at THERAVECTYS, who adds that "this funding should also allow us to continue and even strengthen our efforts in research and development on new indications alone or in collaboration with other large pharmaceutical laboratories."

Lentiviral vectors:
THERAVECTYS uses lentiviral vector technology to develop a new generation of vaccines. Unlike other gene transfer vectors, lentiviral vectors have the unique ability to induce a strong, sustainable and diversified cellular immune response by endogenously stimulating dendritic cells. This breakthrough technology is expected to make it possible to prevent or effectively treat numerous diseases against which the induction of an effective cellular immune response is required: viral diseases (HIV), bacterial or parasitic infections, cancers, etc.

About THERAVECTYS (www.theravectys.com)

THERAVECTYS, a biotechnology company, has developed a new generation of vaccines based on lentiviral vector technology. Built on the results of fundamental research conducted at the Pasteur Institute, this breakthrough technology is expected to enable preventing or effectively treating many diseases in which the induction of effective cellular immune response is required. Benefitting from an exclusive worldwide license with the Pasteur Institute and from financial support from public institutions, THERAVECTYS is continuing its research and development efforts to combat other diseases. It plans to soon be developing new vaccine candidates, either alone or in collaboration with other pharmaceutical laboratories.