Inovio's David Weiner elected as fellow by American Association for the Advancement of Science

Inovio Pharmaceuticals (AMEX:INO) announced Tuesday chairman of its scientific advisory board David Weiner was elected as a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The fellowship is based on scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Members are elected to the organization by their peers.
The world’s largest general scientific society is a non-profit organization and devoted to advancing science around the world by serving as educator, spokesperson and professional association. It has been electing scientists to its society since 1874.
In addition to organizing membership activities, the organization publishes the journal Science, as well as a number of scientific newsletters, books and reports, and spearheads programs that raise the bar for understanding science worldwide.
Weiner, often dubbed the “father of synthetic DNA vaccines,” said Inovio, is being honoured for his pioneering and enabling discoveries in the area of synthetic DNA vaccines and promoting the nascent field of research during its early stages.
He was recognized at the Fellows Forum, which was held February 18 during the American Association's annual meeting in Vancouver.
In the early 1990s, Weiner’s laboratory helped found the field of synthetic DNA vaccines, and had been responsible for the first synthetic DNA vaccine investigational new drug application.
"This award is further recognition of David's visionary and untiring efforts at his lab in the University of Pennsylvania," chief executive Joseph Kim said in a prepared statement.
"These efforts led to the first discovery in the field of synthetic DNA vaccines. He created the scientific foundation for Inovio's clinical stage pipeline of synthetic vaccines for cancer, HIV, influenza and many other infectious diseases."
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, formerly Inovio Biomedical Corp., is developing DNA-based vaccines, to treat and prevent cancers and infectious diseases.
Its SynCon vaccines are designed to provide broad cross-strain protection against known as well as newly emergent unmatched strains of pathogens such as influenza.
These synthetic vaccines, in combination with Inovio's proprietary electroporation delivery, have been shown to generate positive immune responses, along with a favourable safety profile.
Inovio's clinical programs include phase II studies for cervical dysplasia, pre-cancerous lesions, leukemia and the hepatitis C virus, as well as phase I studies for influenza and HIV.