Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced that in a preclinical study of its influenza DNA vaccine against the virulent, newly emergent H7N9 flu virus, 100% of the vaccinated animals were protected against sickness and death when they were challenged with a lethal dose of H7N9 virus. The results from a study in mice demonstrated that Inovio's vaccine generated not only hemagglutination inhibition-based protection against the H7N9 virus but also strong T-cell responses, the company said. Inovio's DNA vaccine created cellular immune responses that could reduce the severity of the infection in a person that acquires the virus and limit the spread of the virus in a pandemic setting. Detailed study results will be presented at an invited plenary session at the TEPIK/APACI International Influenza Symposium being held in Seoul, South Korea, on July 12.