Cancer Research UK, Vaccitech plc (Nasdaq: VACC) and the Ludwig
Institute for Cancer Research (Ludwig), today announce the first
patient dosed in the MAGE trial, which is testing a novel
immunotherapeutic, VTP-600, in patients with the most common type
of lung cancer.
The phase I/IIa trial is expected to enroll approximately 86
people who have been newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC) and will be testing the safety and initial efficacy
of VTP-600 in these patients. VTP-600 will be given in combination
with the current first line treatment for NSCLC.
If further clinical trials are successful, VTP-600 could prove
to be a powerful new treatment for a group of patients in need of
better options.
Depending on its effectiveness in NSCLC, VTP-600 could be
evaluated in other types of cancer in the future, including breast,
bowel, bladder and melanoma.
Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development (CDD) is
managing and providing significant funding for the phase I/IIa
trial. Vaccitech Oncology Limited (VOLT), a strategic collaboration
between Vaccitech and Ludwig, are supplying VTP-600 for the
trial.
The Chief Investigator for the trial is Professor Fiona
Blackhall, Professor of Thoracic Oncology and Honorary Consultant
in Medical Oncology, at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
VOLT holds an option to license the results of the trial to aid
future clinical development and commercialisation of the
immunotherapy. If VOLT elects not to exercise its option, Cancer
Research UK will have the right to take the programme forward in
all cancer indications.
Unlike preventative vaccines, such as the influenza vaccine,
which is given to healthy people to protect them against future
disease, VTP-600 is given to people who already have lung
cancer.
VTP-600 is an immunotherapy, designed to stimulate the body’s
immune system to attack cancer cells.
It does this by delivering cancer-associated proteins — known as
MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1 antigens — to antigen presenting cells
(dendritic cells), causing the immune system to produce cytotoxic T
cells which are able to target and kill cancer cells expressing
these antigens.
It cannot target healthy tissues because MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1
are not found on non-cancerous cells.
VTP-600 is a ‘prime-boost’ immunotherapy, meaning an initial
‘prime’ dose is administered, and then a second ‘booster’ dose is
given 21 days later. This ‘prime-boost’ approach is expected to
improve the size and length of the anti-cancer immune response.
Even though two doses are administered, the immunotherapy
comprises three parts. ChAdOx1-MAGE-A3-NY-ESO-1 is the prime
immunotherapy administered to all patients, MVA MAGE-A3 with or
without MVA NY-ESO-1 is given as the second booster immunotherapy,
depending on the type of antigens expressed on the patient's
tumour.
In the prime dose, ‘ChAdOx1’ refers to the viral vector used in
the vaccine to deliver the antigens. It is a virus which causes a
common cold in chimpanzees, but it has been modified so that it can
no longer cause disease. ChAdOx1 is the same viral vector used in
the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (which was co-invented by
Vaccitech) and is being used in phase II trials for other
diseases.
In the boost doses, ‘MVA’ is a second viral vector containing
the MAGE-A3 or NY-ESO-1 antigens, and is a Modified Vaccinia Ankara
virus, which is a type of poxvirus which has been severely weakened
so that it can no longer cause disease.
The trial is expected to run over 2-3 years. More information on
the clinical trial can be found at NCT04908111.
Dr Nigel Blackburn, Director of Cancer Research UK’s Centre for
Drug Development, said: “We are excited to see that the first
patient has been treated with the VTP-600 immunotherapeutic
vaccine. NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer but remains
very hard to treat. If successful, this cutting-edge immunotherapy
could provide an effective, much-needed new treatment to help more
people survive their lung cancer.
“Partnering with Vaccitech and the Ludwig Institute was vital
for making this trial a reality, and we are looking forward to
seeing how the trial progresses.”
Chief investigator for the MAGE clinical trial, Professor Fiona
Blackhall, who is consultant medical oncologist and director of
research and innovation at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“There is an urgent need to find better treatments for patients
with NSCLC. The VTP-600 immunotherapeutic vaccine is a cutting-edge
technology to target a patient’s immune system to tackle the cancer
cells. The trial is planned to open at 10 specialist hospitals
across the UK to ensure that as many patients as possible can be
given opportunity to participate.”
Vaccitech’s CEO, Bill Enright, said: “We are delighted with the
start of this trial, arising from our clinical development
partnership with two of the world’s most prestigious cancer
research institutions. We’ve seen how our viral vector has
transformed the world’s approach to sars-cov2 and has shown
promising early results in chronic hepatitis B virus infection. We
see this partnership as another important validation of our prime
boost platform’s utility in oncology as well as infectious
disease.”
“We are pleased that the research arising from the Ludwig Oxford
Branch and their colleagues at Oxford University is being tested in
this clinical trial to evaluate the benefit it may bring to
patients with NSCLC and potentially other cancer patients as well,”
added Jonathan Skipper, Executive Vice President for Technology
Development, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
About Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug
Development Cancer Research UK has an impressive
record of developing novel treatments for cancer. The Cancer
Research UK Centre for Drug Development has been pioneering
the development of new cancer treatments for 25 years, taking over
140 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in
patients. It currently has a portfolio of 21 new anti-cancer agents
in preclinical development, Phase I or early Phase II clinical
trials. Six of these new agents have made it to market
including temozolomide for brain cancer, abiraterone for prostate
cancer and rucaparib for ovarian cancer. Two other drugs are in
late development Phase III trials.
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s
leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through
research
- Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work
into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped
save millions of lives.
- Cancer Research UK receives no
government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it
makes towards beating cancer relies on every donation made.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the
heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK
double in the last 40 years.
- Today, 2 in 4 people survive their
cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to
accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive
their cancer for at least 10 years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research
into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000
scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and
supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day
when all cancers are cured.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to
find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or
visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and
Facebook.
About Ludwig Cancer ResearchLudwig Cancer
Research is an international collaborative network of acclaimed
scientists that has pioneered cancer research and landmark
discovery for 50 years. Ludwig combines basic science with the
ability to translate its discoveries and conduct clinical trials to
accelerate the development of new cancer diagnostics and therapies.
Since 1971, Ludwig has invested nearly $3 billion in life-changing
science through the not-for-profit Ludwig Institute for Cancer
Research and the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers. To learn more,
visit www.ludwigcancerresearch.org.
About VaccitechVaccitech is a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development
of novel immunotherapeutic and vaccines for the treatment and
prevention of infectious diseases, cancer & autoimmune
diseases. The company’s proprietary platforms comprise proprietary
modified simian adenoviral vectors, known as ChAdOx1 and ChAdOx2,
the well-validated Modified Vaccinia Ankara, or MVA, boost vector,
both with demonstrable tolerability profiles and without the
ability to replicate in humans, and
the SNAPvax™ and Syntholytic™ polymer-based
platforms. The combination of a ChAdOx prime treatment with
subsequent MVA boost has consistently generated significantly
higher magnitudes of CD8+ T cells compared with other technologies
and approaches. The company has a broad pipeline of both clinical
and preclinical stage therapeutic programs in solid tumors and
viral infections and prophylactic viral vaccine programs. Vaccitech
co-invented a COVID-19 vaccine with the University of Oxford, now
approved for use in many territories and exclusively licensed
worldwide to AstraZeneca through Oxford University Innovation, or
OUI. Vaccitech is entitled to receive a share of the milestones and
royalty income received by OUI from AstraZeneca.
About Vaccitech Oncology Ltd.Vaccitech Oncology
Limited (VOLT) is the oncology focused strategic collaboration of
Vaccitech and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, an
international non-profit organization that conducts innovative
cancer research to prevent, detect and control cancer. VOLT
continues to pioneer immunological research in oncology and is
looking to enable the clinical development of cutting-edge new
treatments that induce and harness CD8+ T cells of the immune
system to fight cancer.
Forward Looking StatementThis press release
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended,
including, without limitation, express or implied statements
regarding: the clinical trials of VTP-600, the continued
development of VTP-600 and the potential therapeutic effects and
expected patient population of VTP-600. The words “may,” “will,”
“could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,”
“intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,”
“continue” and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking
statements in this press release are based on management’s current
expectations and beliefs and are subject to numerous risks,
uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any
forward-looking statements contained in this press release,
including, without limitation: the success, cost and timing of the
Company’s product development activities and planned and ongoing
clinical trials, the Company’s ability to execute on its strategy,
regulatory developments, the Company’s ability to fund its
operations and the impact that the current COVID-19 pandemic will
have on the Company’s clinical trials and preclinical studies and
other risks identified in the Company’s filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2021 and subsequent filings
with the SEC. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance
on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
they are made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to
publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change
in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which
any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood
that actual results will differ from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
Cancer Research UK press office
Ellie Bennett, 020 3469 5370 or, out of hours, on 020
3469 8301
Vaccitech press office:
Katja Stout, Scius Communications (EU), Direct: +44 (0)
7789435990, Email: katja@sciuscommunications.com
Robert Flamm, Ph.D., Burns McClellan, Inc., 212-213-0006 ext.
364, Email: rflamm@burnsmc.com
Karim Saleh, Vaccitech, Email: karim.saleh@vaccitech.co.uk
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research press office:
Rachel Reinhardt, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Email:
rreinhardt@lcr.org
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