200% Gain For GenVec In Sight Following January 5 Announcement

Shares of GenVec Inc GNVC are set to record 200-percent gains after signing an option deal last week with Washington University in St. Louis. The option deal is to license intellectual property and technology related to gene editing and pulmonary endothelial cell targeting.

The deal also complements and expands applications for GenVec’s AdenoVerse gene-delivery platform.

"This agreement provides GenVec with the foundation to establish a proprietary and differentiated program using an individual's pulmonary endothelium as a site for protein production," said Douglas Swirsky, president and CEO of GenVec, in a press release issued at the time of announcement.

GenVec plans to initially focus on research utilizing the technology to develop treatments for hemophilia.

"Proprietary vectors from our AdenoVerse platform are well suited for the delivery of gene editing payloads and could be useful in emerging therapeutic approaches to the long-term correction of genetic disorders such as those that cause blood factor deficiencies," Swirsky added.

GenVec shares climbed 35.79 percent Monday to close at $4.97. In the pre-market hours Tuesday, they further added 47 percent to $7.30.