GeoVax Appoints Dr. Kelly McKee as Chief Medical Officer

Atlanta, GA, Jan. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a biotechnology company specializing in developing human vaccines and cancer immunotherapies, today announced the appointment of Kelly T. McKee, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., to serve as the Company’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

Dr. McKee brings over 30 years of experience in research and development, with specific expertise in vaccines, emerging diseases, biodefense, and respiratory viral infections. His progressive clinical research experience began in 1981 at Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, United States, where he held a variety of leadership positions in virology, immunology, preventive medicine, and clinical research and development with the U.S. Army, retiring as a Colonel in 2001. Dr. McKee subsequently served as State Epidemiologist in North Carolina, and as Senior Director of Clinical Research at DynPort Vaccine Company. He then held multiple leadership roles, including Vice President and Managing Director of Public Health and Government Services, and Vice President for Vaccines and Public Health in the Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Center of Excellence, at Quintiles/QuintilesIMS (now IQVIA) for more than 10 years. He now provides contract clinical development services to biopharmaceutical industry in infectious diseases and related areas.

Dr. McKee earned an M.D. from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore, MD. Over the course of a successful military and private-sector career, he has also earned multiple board and advisory appointments, certifications, grants, civilian honors, and inductions and fellowships to some of the world’s most prestigious medical associations. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

David Dodd, GeoVax President and CEO, commented, “Dr. McKee’s addition to our team represents an important step forward in the strengthening of GeoVax’s organizational and operational resources to support our advancement through clinical development and regulatory registration. We are excited to leverage the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and insights he brings to the table.”

“I am pleased to be joining the GeoVax team,” said Dr. McKee. “Infectious disease and vaccine research and development is my passion and I look forward to engaging with our clinical researchers, regulatory authorities, and the medical community at large, to advance GeoVax’s mission of helping create a healthier world.”

About GeoVax

GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing human vaccines and immunotherapies against infectious diseases and cancer using novel proprietary platforms. GeoVax’s product pipeline includes two ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials of GEO-CM04S1 (formerly COH04S1) for COVID-19 as a universal booster vaccine to mRNA vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and as a primary vaccine for use in immunocompromised patients. In addition to GEO-CM04S1 for COVID-19, GeoVax is developing GEO-CM02 as a pan-coronavirus vaccine. The Company is also conducting a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Gedeptin® for treatment of head and neck cancer. Gedeptin® has been granted orphan drug status by the FDA. Additional research and development programs include preventive vaccines against Zika Virus, hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa) and malaria, as well as immunotherapies for multiple solid tumors. The Company’s portfolio of wholly owned, co-owned, and in-licensed intellectual property stands at over 70 granted or pending patent applications spread over 20 patent families.

For additional information about GeoVax, visit our website: www.geovax.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans. The words “believe,” “look forward to,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventive vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax’s viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventive vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventive vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventive vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.

Further information on our risk factors is contained in our registration statement on Form S-3 and the periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by U.S. federal securities law. 

GeoVax Labs, Inc.
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