Dynavax Technologies Corporation announced that the first participant has been dosed in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of Z-1018, the company's investigational vaccine candidate being developed for the prevention of shingles (herpes zoster), a debilitating disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The Phase 1/2 randomized, active-controlled, dose escalation, multicenter trial is expected to enroll approximately 440 healthy adults aged 50 to 69 years at trial sites in Australia, and will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of Z-1018 compared to Shingrix®. Key objectives of the trial include selecting the optimal glycoprotein E (gE) protein dose level and dosing schedule for further clinical development. The Phase 1/2 trial will be used to support validation of a Patient Reported Outcome measurement tool to differentiate Z-1018 on tolerability and to support potential label claims. Dynavax anticipates reporting top line immunogenicity and safety data in the second half of 2025, including a comparison of CD4+ T-cells one month after the second of two vaccine doses.