On November 23, 2022 Defence Therapeutics Inc. ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immuneoncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, reported the successful completion of its Good Laboratory Practice ("GLP") studies on the AccuVAC-PT007 vaccine candidate specifically designed to target cervical cancer (Press release, Defence Therapeutics, NOV 23, 2022, View Source [SID1234626256]). GLP studies conducted on rodents demonstrate a full spectrum of safety and tolerability with no signs of complications.

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!

Cervical cancer normally occurs when epithelial cells of the cervix are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted disease. Although HPV infections can resorb, infections escaping the immune system ultimately led to genital warts leading to advanced cancers that are hardly treated with standard of care. Currently, vaccination targeting HPV directly can protect from cervical cancer. However commercially available vaccines (containing a mix of 9 HPV-derived L1 proteins) are not designed to protect from all HPV subtypes and the vaccine on the market cannot be used to treat pre-established cervical cancer. Defence focused on this "gap" by engineering AccuVAC-PT007, a protein-based vaccine containing a single oncoprotein (E7) linked to AccumTM for enhanced antigen presentation by the immune system. This vaccine can not only be used to protect from HPV (prophylactic use), but it is the only experimental vaccine capable of curing established cervical cancer when combined to immune-checkpoint inhibitors. The AccuVac may be a solution.

Using the AccumTM platform, Defence developed the AccuVAC-PT007, a protein-based vaccine targeting the E7 oncoprotein of the HPV virus. AccuVAC-PT007 was previously shown to provide complete protection against cervical cancer (prophylactic vaccination) as shown in our press release dated on May 17, 2022. These ground-breaking observations led to the testing of AccuVAC-PT007 as a treatment with pre-established cervical cancer (therapeutic vaccination). Pre-clinical studies conducted on rodents, as reported in our press release dated on June 27, 2022, showed that the co-delivery of AccuVAC-PT007 with several immune-checkpoint blockers (antiPD-1, anti-CTLA4 or anti-CD47) lead to potent control of tumor growth with a more pronounced effect observed with anti-CD47, one of the latest immune-checkpoint blockers undergoing clinical development.

"The successful completion of the GLP studies clearly demonstrate the safety and tolerability profile of our AccuVAC-PT007 vaccine. With only one oncoprotein (E7) linked to our AccumTM, we would significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and more importantly our vaccine would have the capacity to cure established cervical cancer. It is another strong example of Defence’s AccumTM technology versatility. And it also shows how dedicated we are in developing efficiently vaccines to eradicate tumors. Our AccuVAC-PT007 vaccine is now ready for a Phase I Clinical Trial or partnership/licence with a Pharma", adds Mr. Plouffe, the CEO of Defence Therapeutics.

Besides cervical cancer, HPV can cause cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer) and can include the base of the tongue and tonsils. In addition, patients with weak immune systems may be unable to fight off a given HPV infection, which brings forward another important ailment with unmet medical needs. This is an opportunity for the AccuVAC-PT007 that Defence has developed.

Cervical cancer has a high mortality rate (nearly 50%), which can be reduced by diagnosis and prevention. A report from 360ResearchReports projected that the global Cervical Cancer Treatment market size is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period, reaching USD 11 Billion by 2027.