Patent Issued to Vical and UW

Bruce V. Bigelow12/22/09

San Diego-based Vical says today it has obtained a patent covering DNA vaccines for the sexually transmitted herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the leading cause of genital herpes. Vical (NASDAQ: VICL) says it is in preclinical development of a HSV-2 vaccine in collaboration with the University of Washington School of Medicine, which also is a patent grantee, and the University of Texas Medical Branch. The National Institutes of Health has provided a two-year, $2 million Small Business Technology Transfer grant to develop the vaccine, which is intended for people who have genital herpes caused by HSV-2.

Bruce V. Bigelow is the editor of Xconomy San Diego. You can e-mail him at bbigelow@xconomy.com or call (619) 669-8788