On November 11, 2017 Heat Biologics, Inc. ("Heat") (Nasdaq: HTBX), a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs designed to activate a patient’s immune system against cancer, reported updated pre-clinical data evaluating its Combination Pan-antigen Cytotoxic Therapy (ComPACT) platform in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor and T-cell co-stimulators as a potential immunotherapy cocktail approach to treat cancer (Press release, Heat Biologics, NOV 11, 2017, View Source [SID1234521945]). Data from the follow-up study build upon previous pre-clinical results utilizing Heat’s ComPACT platform, which generated positive synergies with checkpoint inhibitors and the T-cell co-stimulator, OX40.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
The poster presentation, Gp96-IG/costimulatory Combination Vaccine Improves T-cell Priming and Enhances Immunity, Memory, and Tumor Elimination, was presented at the 32nd annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper).
The follow-up study was designed to further assess ComPACT combined with a checkpoint inhibitor and OX40, but now with the addition of the cell-secreted, T-cell costimulatory, TL1A. ComPACT is Heat’s next generation, T-cell activation platform (TCAP). It combines T-cell activation and co-stimulation in a single therapy by both delivering the gp96 heat shock protein and a T-cell co-stimulatory fusion proteins in a single compound.
Results in pre-clinical trials show that this combination approach effectively synergizes with antagonist antibody therapies that amplify antigen-specific T-cells; program a memory response; and eliminate tumors. Heat subsidiary Pelican Therapeutics is currently manufacturing a TL1A drug for anticipated human clinical trials that is partially funded through a $15 million grant provided by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
"Our follow-up study on our ComPACT T-cell activation platform provides us with robust data demonstrating a potentially efficacious approach to treating human cancers," said Louis E. Gonzalez, chief scientist at Heat. "The addition of TL1A in combination with OX40 has been found to improve T-cell priming which is an important of any immunotherapy cocktail to treat patients with cancer."