GenVec
Encyclopedia
GenVec, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical
company developing pharmaceuticals
and vaccine
s based on novel biotechnology
such as targeted delivery systems. The company has a number of drugs currently in various phases of clinical trial
s. Its lead product candidate is TNFerade, being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. The company has been contracted
by the United States
Department of Homeland Security to develop a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease
.
. There was an 8% reduction in risk of death but it was not statistically significant. TNFerade is “an adenovector, or DNA carrier, which contains the gene for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), an immune system protein, for direct injection into tumors”.
Biopharmaceutical
Biopharmaceuticals are medical drugs produced using biotechnology. They include proteins , nucleic acids and living microorganisms like virus and bacteria where the virulence of viruses and bacteria is reduced by the process of attenuation, they can be used for therapeutic or in vivo diagnostic...
company developing pharmaceuticals
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
s based on novel biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
such as targeted delivery systems. The company has a number of drugs currently in various phases of clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
s. Its lead product candidate is TNFerade, being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. The company has been contracted
Independent contractor
An independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Department of Homeland Security to develop a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids...
.
TNFerade
TNFerade (the Company's lead product candidate) failed a phase III trial for pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. There was an 8% reduction in risk of death but it was not statistically significant. TNFerade is “an adenovector, or DNA carrier, which contains the gene for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), an immune system protein, for direct injection into tumors”.