Company OverviewGeoVax Labs Inc.
GeoVax (NASDAQ: GOVX) is a clinical-stage biotech company committed to developing safe and effective vaccines and immunotherapies against cancers and infectious diseases.
Our development programs are based upon a novel platform (GV-MVA-VLP™) that integrates our recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector technology with advanced antigen design and state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies. Vaccines produced in this platform are safe, highly immunogenic, suitable for repeated use, stable at refrigerator temperatures, can be lyophilized, and are amenable to rapid and affordable scale-up for use in both epidemic response and routine vaccination.
Our current development programs are focused on preventive vaccines against COVID-19, hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa), Zika Virus, HIV, and malaria, as well as therapeutic vaccines against multiple cancers. During the First Half 2021, the Company anticipates several data milestone events including the COVID-19 animal testing results in support of accelerated clinical development and non-human primate results for the Lassa, Marburg and Sudan hemorrhagic fever virus vaccines. The priority focus of Company activities includes advancing the COVID-19 vaccine and cancer immunotherapy programs into clinical development. The GeoVax COVID-19 vaccine approach is designed to provide a single-dose, universal coronavirus vaccine, highly durable (e.g., no boosters), delivered with minimal refrigeration required. The GeoVax immuno-oncology approach includes a Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA/e.g., MU1 protein) vaccine combined with an Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor, resulting in increased therapeutic effect and utility.
In September 2020, the Company successfully recapitalized and listed on Nasdaq (“GOVX”). The current balance sheet supports increased development activities and operations through 2023.
Speaker BioChairman & CEO
GeoVax Labs, Inc.
A recognized leader with highly successful experience and expertise in transforming and restructuring public and private companies, establishing strong governance processes and operational discipline, resulting in operational improvements, significant revenue and enterprise value growth. During his career, he has overseen the approval of over 10 NDAs, over 15 acquisitions/divestitures, in excess of $2.5 billion in financial transactions and, led over $5 billion in incremental enterprise growth.
Key highlights of Mr. Dodd’s career include:
- During Mr. Dodd’s six-year tenure as President, CEO and Director of Serologicals Corporation, he led a transformation of that Company during which the enterprise value increased over $1 billion…from $85 million to an all-cash sale to Millipore Corporation of $1.5 billion;
- Mr. Dodd served as President, CEO & Director of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., during which the enterprise value increased over $2 billion – from $100 million to $2.5 billion over a five-year period;
- Mr. Dodd joined the GeoVax Board of Directors in March 2010 and was elected Chairman in January 2011. Effective September 2018, he began serving also as the President, CEO. Mr. Dodd has led the Company through a significant transformation from being focused on a single vaccine (HIV/AIDS) to developing an attractive portfolio of human vaccines in infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapy. At the 2018 World Vaccine Congress, GeoVax received the “Best Biotech” recognition award, a reflection of the opinions of the vaccine industry public and private members.
- As President, CEO & Director of Aeterna Zentaris, Mr. Dodd led the development of and FDA approval of Macrilen™, the first and only product successfully developed and receiving regulatory approval in the 30+history of that company;
- Mr. Dodd also served in executive roles with Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories (now part of Pfizer), Bristol-Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories;
He is a frequent invited speaker and panelist at business and economic development conferences, as well as various conferences focused on the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Dodd is a recipient of the Oglethorpe Award for UK-US Business Relationships recognized by the British American Business Council, the Georgia BIO Industry Growth Award, and a multi-year recipient of the FastTech 50 Growth Company Award (2000-2006) while leading Serologicals Corporation.
In addition, he has served on a development committee of the MacArthur Foundation, as an advisor to the First Minister of Scotland, as the Chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, as a member of the External Advisory Board of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Biosciences (GaTech), as the Chair of GaBio, as a board member on the Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association and, in leadership roles with numerous additional organizations.
Mr. Dodd holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Georgia State University and completed the Harvard Business School of Advanced Management Program.
Speaker BioChief Scientific Officer
GeoVax Labs, Inc.
Dr. Newman has more than 30 years’ experience in the biotechnology sector serving in senior management roles at GeoVax (Atlanta, GA), PaxVax (San Diego, CA), Pharmexa (Horsholm, Denmark), Epimmune (San Diego, CA), Vaxcel (Atlanta, GA), Apollon (Philadelphia, PA) and Cambridge Biotech (Boston, MA) where he directed research, development and early stage clinical testing of protein, peptide, plasmid DNA and viral vectored vaccines and multiple vaccine adjuvants. He participated with or directed teams responsible for the transition of 10 vaccine or vaccine-related products from the research stage to Phase 1 and 2 clinical testing. He also served as the primary scientific director for multiple corporate teams that completed Due Diligence reviews, technology assessments and intellectual property review and portfolio management to support strategic planning, technology in-licensing and out-licensing, corporate partnering and mergers and acquisitions.
Dr. Newman has co-authored more that 100 scientific papers, reviews and book chapters during his professional career. He is a named co-inventor on multiple issued US and PCT patents, all related to vaccine technologies. He served as the Principal Investigator on multiple USA government and foundation grants and contracts and has served as a grant and contract review expert for 20 years for National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Newman is a graduate of the Ohio State University (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) and received his Ph.D. in Immunology from the John Curtin School of Medical Research, the Australian National University (Canberra, Australia). He completed four years post-doctoral training at Cornell University and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences under contract with the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. He also served four years as a full-time member of the Louisiana State University faculty at the School of Veterinary Medicine prior to joining the biotechnology industry in 1989.
