 --Gritstone to Host Conference Call Today at 8:00 a.m. ET-- EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 19, 2021 GLOBE NEWSWIRE -- Gritstone Oncology, Inc. Nasdaq: GRTS, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of cancer and infectious disease immunotherapies, today announced that it is advancing development of a second generation vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with potential for both prolonged protection and potency against Spike mutants. Gritstone and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, have entered into a clinical trial agreement to initiate clinical testing. A Phase 1 clinical trial, expected to be conducted through the NIAID-supported Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium IDCRC, is in development. The Bill Melinda Gates Foundation Gates Foundation is supporting the preclinical evaluation of the vaccine. 