Innovative Immunotherapies Emerging as the Cancer Treatments of the Future
March 23 2017 - 8:30AM
InvestorWire
New York, New York (NetworkNewsWire) – Cancer remains one of the
world’s leading causes of death, putting significant strain on
health care systems, in terms of costs and resources. However, as
the number of cancer diagnoses rises, so too does the development
of innovative and efficient therapies that demonstrate higher
chances of success with minimum side effects. Among the many types
of cancer treatments, a growing number of patients receiving
immuno-oncology therapies are reporting impressive results. In this
landscape, leading biotech companies such as TapImmune,
Inc. (NASDAQ: TPIV) (TPIV
Profile), OncoSec Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCS), Agenus, Inc.
(NASDAQ: AGEN), Immune Design Corp. (NASDAQ: IMDZ) and
Kite Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: KITE) are giving
patients hope by introducing new, effective classes of
immunotherapy drugs for a wide range of cancers.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the
second-leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for about 8.8
million deaths in 2015. Statistically, one in six deaths is caused
by cancer. Most of these deaths were caused by lung cancer,
followed by liver, colorectal, stomach and breast cancer. In
addition, the WHO expects a 70-percent rise in the number of new
cases over the next two decades. In 2016 alone, there were an
estimated 1.7 million new cases of cancer in the United States,
with approximately 595,000 deaths. Subsequently, annual cancer drug
spending is also on the rise, expected to exceed $150 billion by
2020, according to a report by IMS Health Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:
IMS). The 10.5 percent increase is largely driven by the emergence
of new immunotherapies that are designed to help cancer patients’
immune systems learn how to attack tumors.
An innovative immunotherapy approach comes from
TapImmune, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPIV) (TPIV
Profile), whose next-generation technology can
overcome the deficiencies of earlier vaccines and become a powerful
therapy on its own or in combination with other types of
immunotherapies. The company is developing two vaccines that target
both helper T-cells (CD4) and killer T-cells (CD8) and are directed
against specific proteins that are present on the surface of most
target tumor cells. Being comprised of naturally processed antigens
deriving from immune responses recognized by over 85 percent of the
population, these off-the-shelf vaccines have the potential to
successfully target and trigger a durable anti-immune response in a
very large field of patients.
TapImmune is currently running several phase II clinical trials
that study the vaccines’ safety and patient response, in particular
for cases of ovarian and breast cancer. With plans to attain Food
Drug Administration Orphan Disease and Fast Track designation for
both vaccines, the company is working closely with industry leaders
such as Mayo Clinic, AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) or Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center.
In addition to its T-cell vaccine candidates, TapImmune is
developing a proprietary and groundbreaking peptide expression
system meant to make DNA-based immunotherapy more effective.
PolyStart™ is significantly more efficient than existing antigen
expression technologies, as it can enhance the recognition of
target cells by the immune system, making them easier to be
identified and eliminated. The proprietary technology is still in
preclinical development, and it has the potential to increase the
efficiency of any DNA vaccine, including the company’s own T-cell
vaccines, as well as other inoculation types that target cancer or
infectious diseases, whether in development or already on the
market.
Another company focusing on innovative DNA-based cancer therapy
is OncoSec Medical (ONCS). The company’s lead
product candidate, which recently received FDA Fast Track
designation, is ImmunoPulse® IL-12, an intratumoral anti-cancer
gene therapy currently in phase II clinical trials for various
cancer types such as triple negative breast cancer or metastatic
melanoma. The ImmunoPulse® IL-12 program’s focus is now on the
unmet medical needs of patients with melanoma who are
non-responsive to traditional therapies. In addition to
ImmunoPulse® IL-12, OncoSec is developing other immune-targeting
agents with the help of the ImunoPulse® technology, which is
designed to enhance the delivery and uptake of DNA-based
immune-targeting agents.
A wide range of immunotherapies, including but not limited to
cancer vaccines and checkpoint antibodies, comes from
Agenus (AGEN). The company also focuses on various
combination therapy approaches, with the end goal of making cancer
immunotherapy available to a broader patient population. Its lead
product candidates include Prophage – a heat shock protein-based
vaccine targeting glioblastoma; PhosphoSynVax – a vaccine targeting
a new class of tumor specific neoepitopes; AutoSynVax – a
neo-antigen based vaccine that targets neo-epitopes in cancer
patients; and several checkpoint modulator product candidates. What
sets Agenus apart is its suite of antibody discovery platforms,
such as the Retrocyte Display™ which screens and generates antibody
therapies by incorporating human antibodies expressed in mammalian
B-lymphocyte cases.
Immune Design (IMDZ) is a clinical-stage
immuno-oncology company with a pipeline of first-in-class
immunotherapy candidates. Its two primary product candidates,
CMB305 and G100, are currently in multiple phase I and phase II
clinical trials. These candidates utilize two separate approaches
(specific antigen and intratumoral immunization) designed to
generate strong, tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and
overcome limitations of existing therapies. The specific antigen
approach uses selected antigens found in the patient’s tumor, which
enables the immune system to recognize the tumor antigen and kill
tumor cells expressing the antigen. In contrast, the intratumoral
immunization approach uses treatments such as chemotherapy or local
radiation to lyse tumors and release endogenous antigens, which are
then captured by neighboring G100-activated dendritic cells – this
approach is intended to generate a broad and varied immune
response.
Another innovative approach in the development of cancer
immunotherapy products comes from Kite Pharma
(KITE). Focusing on creating chimeric antigen receptor and
T-cell receptor cell therapies with the declared goal of offering
rapid and durable immunotherapeutic solutions to cancer patients,
this clinical-stage biotech company has developed several
autologous cell therapy-based products targeting solid and
hematological malignancies. Its flagship product is KTE-C19, a
chimeric antigen receptor undergoing several clinical trials. A
recent study targeting relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma
yielded very promising results, with 73 percent of patients
responding to the treatment and 55 percent going into complete
remission.
For more information on TapImmune Inc. please visit: TapImmune, Inc.
(TPIV) or www.Tapimmune.com
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