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Amorfix And Helix Biopharma Partnering To Develop Targeted Cancer Therapeutics

On November 11, 2011 Amorfix Life Sciences reported that the Company is collaborating with Helix BioPharma to develop novel therapeutics against cancers associated with misfolded prion protein (Press release, Amorfix Life Sciences, NOV 11, 2011, View Source [SID:1234500907]). These novel therapeutics will specifically target tumour cells and are expected to be more effective and safer than traditional cancer treatments.
Antibodies can be effective as therapeutics by delivering a toxic payload directly to the tumour. As part of this collaboration, Amorfix will provide tumour specific antibodies identified and developed with their proprietary ProMIS discovery technology while Helix BioPharma will utilize their proprietary technology to produce antibody-urease conjugates which are toxic to cells.
"This collaboration represents an important combination of technologies required to produce new therapeutics for the effective treatment of cancer" said Dr. Robert Gundel, Amorfix President and Chief Executive Officer. "We have been very successful in generating high affinity antibodies against disease specific epitopes (DSEs) that show preferred binding to certain tumour cells, but not to normal cells. Our lead misfolded PrP antibody shows selective binding to 5 out of 6 human ovarian cancer cell types but does not bind to normal human ovarian tissue. In addition, this antibody binds selectively to 4 out of 6 human lymphoma cancer cells but not to normal human lymphocytes. Ovarian cancer, in particular, remains an area of very high unmet medical need with a current 5 year survival rate of less than 50%. By attaching Helix’s urease toxin to our antibody, we are providing an effective means for specific delivery directly to the tumours, and not subjecting normal cells to the toxin. We are very pleased to have Helix BioPharma as a partner for this program as their conjugation technology and experience with the urease system is an important component for the overall success of the project."
Details and/or financial terms of the collaboration have not been made public.

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CureVac presents clinical results of a Phase I/IIa trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

On November 7, 2011 CureVac GmbH, the mRNA vaccine company, reported the presentation the results of a Phase I/IIa trial (NCT00923312) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with CV9201, an mRNA-based cancer vaccine, in patients with NSCLC stage IIIB/IV after first-line chemo-radiotherapy or chemotherapy, respectively. The trial strived to assess safety and toxicity of CV9201 as well as its ability to induce antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in cancer patients. The results suggest that CV9201 is safe, well tolerated and biologically active. The trial evaluated a five dose regime of CV9201 delivered via intradermal injection in 46 patients.
The trial with CV9201, conducted in Germany and Switzerland, was the first to test an immunotherapy based on CureVac´s RNActive vaccination technology in patients after heavy pre-treatment with chemotherapy. 65% of the phase IIa study patients responded to at least one antigen out of the five antigens in CV9201. "Importantly, CureVac‘s therapeutic mRNA vaccine CV9201 induces responses against multiple antigens in two thirds of immunologically responding patients. Moreover, we see profound B-cell activation in 61% of the patients. This makes an overall antigen-specific or B-cell response of 84%. We also see immune responses against all included antigens. All in all, these data are extremely encouraging and confirm our previous results in prostate cancer," said Dr. Kajo Kallen, CSO and CMO of CureVac.
The results of the NSCLC trial underpin the broad applicability of CureVac’s proprietary RNActive vaccination technology to generate novel cancer vaccines against tumor-associated antigens. The results are seen as another important validation step of CureVac’s innovative proprietary RNActive vaccination technology.
Dr. Ingmar Hoerr, CEO of CureVac, said "I believe these new results are excellent news for patients. We are eager to further investigate our RNActive vaccination technology in oncology. In fact, CureVac´s RNActive vaccination technology could represent a real step forward in the effort to develop disease specific or even patient specific cancer immunotherapies."
CureVac´s RNActive tumor immunotherapy approach is independent of the HLA subtype. CV9201 is one candidate in CureVac’s pipeline of RNActive-derived molecules for the active immunotherapy of cancer. The vaccine comprises mRNA molecules encoding five different antigens of which three are cancer testis antigens.

(Press release, Ligand, NOV 7, 2011, View Source [SID:1234502820])

(Press release, Quanticel, NOV 4, 2011, View Source [SID:1234501942])

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb Enter Innovative Partnership
To License and Develop Investigational Oncology Compound

On November 3, 2011 ASLAN Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb reported a strategic partnership allowing for the rapid development of BMS-777607, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s investigational small molecule inhibitor of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase for treatment of solid tumors (Press release ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, NOV 3, 2011, View Source [SID:1234500467]).
Under the terms of the agreement, ASLAN will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize BMS-777607 in China, Australia, Korea, Taiwan and other selected Asian countries while Bristol-Myers Squibb retains exclusive rights in the rest of the world. ASLAN will run and fund development of BMS-777607 under a pre-agreed development program that will initially target gastric cancer and lung cancer. Financial terms were not disclosed.