VAXIMM To Present Preclinical Data On Three Novel Oral T-Cell Immunotherapies At AACR Annual Meeting 2017
Poster title: Immunogenicity and antitumor efficacy of live attenuated Salmonella typhimurium-based oral T-cell vaccines VXM01m, VXM04m and VXM06m
Abstract No.: #4558
Session: PO.IM02.09 - Clinical Immunotherapy, Viruses, and Bacteria
Session date and time: Tuesday, April 4, 2017, 1:00 - 5:00 PM EDT
Room: Section 25, Washington Convention Center
The abstract is available on the AACR website.
VAXIMM has a versatile technology platform that is being used to discover novel oral T-cell immunotherapies to treat a variety of cancers. The Company is also using its technology to develop a personalized neoantigen approach. VAXIMM's lead development program, VXM01, is in clinical development for the treatment of glioblastoma and colorectal cancer. VXM04 and VXM06 are currently in preclinical testing.
The data being presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2017 support the use of VAXIMM's oral T-cell immunotherapy platform to stimulate an anti-tumor response targeting a variety of tumor-associated antigens. For example, in a pancreatic cancer model, treatment with VXM01 and VXM04 as single agents resulted in a significant reduction in tumor growth compared to control (empty vector). In a leukemia model, VXM06 demonstrated a rapid and sustained anti-tumor effect, with 100% (10 out of 10) of the mice surviving 175 days after tumor challenge. In contrast, the control group did not show any anti-cancer effect, with a median survival of 45 days and 0% (0 out of 10) tumor protection.
All three immunotherapies were tolerated at the effective doses and have demonstrated consistent anti-cancer activity with significant T-cell responses in various animal tumor models.
About VXM01:
VXM01, an oral T-cell immunotherapy, is based on a live attenuated, safe, orally available, bacterial vaccine strain, which is modified to carry vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) as the target gene. VXM01 stimulates the patient's immune system to activate VEGFR2-specific, cytotoxic T-cells (so-called killer cells). These immune killer cells then actively destroy cells in the tumor vasculature, leading to an increased infiltration of various immune cells into the tumor. In preclinical studies, a murine analog VXM01 vaccine showed broad anti-tumor activity in different tumor types. This activity was linked to a VEGFR2-specific T-cell response and was accompanied by the destruction of the tumor vasculature and increased immune cell infiltration. In a Phase I double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in 71 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, VXM01 appeared to be safe and well tolerated and led to the activation of VEGFR2-specific cytotoxic T-cells, which was associated with significantly improved patient survival. Clinical studies in colorectal cancer and glioblastoma are ongoing.
About VXM04:
VXM04 carries human mesothelin as the target antigen. Mesothelin is a protein that is overexpressed in several solid tumors, including mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. VXM04 is currently in preclinical testing with plans to advance the immunotherapy into the clinic to treat solid tumors. In preclinical studies, VXM04 has shown potent T-cell activation against mesothelin and stand-alone therapeutic activity in models of pancreatic cancer. The VXM04 safety profile has been demonstrated in combination with VXM01 in a three-month toxicity study in animals.
About VXM06:
VXM06 carries a modified Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) protein as target antigen. WT1 is overexpressed in several hematological malignancies and solid tumors, including acute leukemias, glioblastoma, colon cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and ovarian cancer. In preclinical studies, VXM06 has shown potent T-cell activation against WT1 and stand-alone therapeutic activity in models of leukemia. The VXM06 safety profile has been demonstrated in a three-month toxicity study in animals.
About VAXIMM:
VAXIMM is a privately held, Swiss/German biotech company that is developing oral T-cell immunotherapies for patients suffering from cancer. VAXIMM's product platform is based on a live attenuated, safe, orally available bacterial vaccine strain, which is modified to stimulate patients' cytotoxic T-cells to target specific structures of the tumor. VAXIMM's lead product candidate, oral VXM01, activates killer cells targeting tumor-specific vasculature and certain immune-suppressive cells, thereby increasing immune cell infiltration in solid tumors. VXM01 is in clinical development for several tumor types, including pancreatic, colorectal and brain cancer. In addition to VXM01, VAXIMM has a pipeline of complementary development candidates targeting different tumor structures. VAXIMM's investors include BB Biotech Ventures, Merck Ventures, Sunstone Capital and BioMed Partners. VAXIMM AG is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Its wholly owned subsidiary, VAXIMM GmbH, located in Mannheim, Germany, is responsible for the Company's clinical operations.