Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Good day and welcome to the Inovio Pharmaceuticals First Quarter 2021 Financial Results Conference Call. All participants will be in listen-only mode. Should you need assistance, please signal a conference specialist by pressing the star key followed by zero. After today's presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Please note, this event is being recorded. I'd now like to turn the conference over to Ben Matone, Senior Director of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Thank you, Operator. Thank you for joining the Inovio First Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call. Joining me on today's call are Dr. Joseph Kim, President and CEO, Mr. Peter Keyes, CFO, Dr. Jackie Shea, Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Laurent Timot, Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Anza Mammon, Senior Vice President of Clinical Development, and Dr. Kate Broderick, Senior Vice President of Research and Development. For today's call, we will review our corporate and financial information for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2021. In addition, we will discuss this morning's press release regarding the phase two data from our innovate trial for COVID-19, as well as provide an update on the company's path forward for our global phase three study. Following prepared remarks, we will be conducting a question and answer segment reserved for equity research analysts. During the call, we will be making forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of the company. These events relate to our business plans to develop Inovio's integrated platform of DNA medicine, which include clinical and regulatory developments and timing of clinical data readouts, along with capital resources and strategic matters. All of these statements are based on the beliefs and expectations of management as of today. Actual events or results could differ materially. We refer you to the documents we file from time to time with the SEC, which under the heading risk factors, identify important factors that could cause actual results that differ materially from those expressed by the company, verbally, and in writing today, including without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to conducting clinical trials, compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, our dependence on collaboration partners, third parties, and a level of cost associated with discovery and business development activities to assist in potentially bringing our products to market. This call is being webcast live on our website, ir.innovio.com, and a replay will be made available shortly after this call is concluded. With that, I would like to turn the call over to Inovio's President and CEO, Dr. Joseph Kim.

Thank you, Ben, and thank you to everyone for taking the time to join us for today's call. When we last connected, we were in a very different place, awaiting the impact of holiday travel and gatherings on community viral spread, particularly given the emergence of variant strains around the world. We were unclear on the spread and impact of the vaccine rollout. Today, a quarter later, we're encouraged by the progress that has been made here in the US, but are mindful that much of the world is still struggling to get access to vaccines. Navigating how to address the logistics of cold and ultra cold chain transport to facilitate getting shots in the arm, and continuing to be challenged by outbreaks and emerging variants. As a company with deep roots in infectious disease and a longstanding commitment to public health, we recognize the still largely unmet vaccine needs of the global community. Equally, we know that our ability to have the greatest impact on this public health crisis is increasingly outside the United States. In late April, we announced that we will be implementing a global phase three trial for INO4800. We are working with funders and partners to achieve this plan and expect to start the trial this summer. Additionally, we continue to be in discussions with a number of countries regarding INO4800 advanced market procurement agreements within the countries where the clinical trial sites are being planned. We look forward to proceeding with this phase three trial this summer, and we'll have additional details to share regarding these efforts in the coming weeks. Most importantly, we remain on track to initiate our phase three segment of Innovate, as we have previously stated. Now, I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Anza Mammon, who is leading our global phase three INO4800 trial, to tell us more about the phase two results we announced this morning. Anza?