BERKELEY, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/19/13 --
Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: DVAX) announced today that the 2013 Novartis Prize for Basic Immunology has been awarded to Dr. Robert L. Coffman, Chief Scientific Officer of Dynavax, and his former collaborator Dr. Tim R. Mossman for their groundbreaking research defining subsets of immune system T cells that advanced the understanding of infectious, autoimmune and allergic diseases.
While working together in the 1980s at DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA, Drs. Mossman and Coffman determined the distinct functions of two T-helper cell subsets: Th1 cells, which play a major role in cellular immunity critical for resistance to infections, and Th2 cells, which can induce allergic diseases. They also found that dysregulation of Th1 and Th2 cell functions was implicated in many immunological diseases.
"The fundamental discovery by Drs. Mossman and Coffman of the specific types of T cells that helped either cellular or humoral (antibody-mediated) immunity revolutionized our understanding of how the immune system works, and led to major advances in designing therapies for infectious, inflammatory and allergic diseases and in vaccine design," said Dhaval Patel, Head, Novartis Institutes for Biological Research Europe and Global Head of Autoimmunity, Transplantation and Immunology.
"On behalf of Dynavax, I'd like to congratulate Bob on this remarkable accomplishment," said Eddie Gray, Dynavax Chief Executive Officer.
The Prize ceremony will take place at the 15th International Congress of Immunology in Milan, Italy on August 23, 2013. Established in 1990, The Novartis Prizes for Immunology are awarded every three years for breakthrough contributions to the fields of basic and clinical immunology as judged by an independent panel of experts.
About Dynavax
Dynavax, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops novel products to prevent and treat infectious and inflammatory diseases. Dynavax's lead product candidate is HEPLISAV™, a Phase 3 investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine. For more information visit www.dynavax.com.
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Source: Dynavax Technologies
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