Oragenics : Preclinical Study Shows Promising Response In COVID-19 Vaccine; Stock Surges

(RTTNews) - Oragenics Inc. (OGEN) said that the National Institutes of Health created stabilized pre-fusion spike protein (CoV-2 S-2P) licensed by the company has generated neutralizing antibodies in mice during immunization against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In Wednesday pre-market trade, OGEN was trading at $2.07, up $0.72 or 53.90 percent.

"We are delighted that our licensed SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been shown to hold promise in the creation of a COVID-19 vaccine," said Alan Joslyn, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Oragenics.

The company said the National Institutes of Health or NIH's preclinical study showed that thespike protein, adjuvanted with the TLR-4-agonist Sigma Adjuvant System generates neutralizing antibody titers in both a pseudovirus neutralization assay and a plaque reduction neutralization titer assay. In addition, this immunization produced a balanced Th1/Th2 response.

In March 2020 Noachis Terra, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oragenics, acquired a non-exclusive license from the NIH for this stabilized prefusion CoV-2 spike protein.