Vancouver, British Columbia — Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF), a Canadian biotechnology company developing novel immune-oncology therapeutics and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce the successful testing of a second-generation anti-cancer vaccine, called ARM-002TM, using its lead anti-cancer molecule AccuTOX®. When tested as a therapeutic vaccine in a melanoma cancer model, ARM-002TM leads to an 80% complete response when combined with the anti-PD-1 immune-checkpoint inhibitor.
Compared to current anti-cancer strategies, vaccination can stimulate specific immune responses capable of potentially curing established tumors. In addition, developed immune cells can lead to a long-lasting memory response capable of further protecting the patient from subsequent cancer relapses. Using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) as a vaccination platform; Defence has previously shown that it is possible to pharmacologically reprogram these immune-suppressive cells into potent antigen presenting cells using its Accum® derivative called A1 (ARMTM vaccine). Although the ARMTM vaccine can effectively present antigens to responding T cells, the large amount of antigen preparation required to generate the cellular vaccine might represent challenges in the clinic. Defence elected to test its lead AccuTOX® molecule to engineer a second-generation anti-cancer vaccine as the latter was shown to directly enhance antigen presentation in cancer cells if delivered intratumorally at lower doses.
“AccuTOX® is an amazing molecule! AccuTOX® has the capacity to trigger cancer cell death when used as a direct cancer injectable, and AccuTOX®, the same molecule, converts MSCs into potent antigen presenting cells capable of priming potent anti-tumoral responses using a 10-fold lower antigen preparation,” says Mr. Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics.
The ARM-002TM vaccine was tested in vivo in the context of melanoma. The vaccine elicited an impressive anti-tumoral response, which prompt the team to widen its scope of application by further testing it on “hard to treat” ovarian and pancreatic cancers. The Defence team are conducting additional studies in parallel to decipher the exact mode of action of AccuTOX® in reprograming MSCs while studying the mechanistic behind the ARM-002TM potency using different in vivo studies. Once these studies finalized and the “Dry Run” manufacturing of the ARM-002TM vaccine completed, a request to obtain clearance for a Phase I trial targeting a basket of solid tumors will be initiated.
About Defence Therapeutics
Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.
Contact
Sebastien Plouffe – President, CEO and Director
+1 (514) 947-2272
[email protected]