10 most promising therapeutic vaccines can cure certain diseases

Unlike traditional vaccines that have a preventive effect, therapeutic vaccines can treat certain diseases. In April last year, the FDA approved the first therapeutic vaccine, namely Dendreon’s Provenge (sipuleucel-T). Provenge can extend the life of men with certain types of metastatic prostate cancer by approximately 4 months. Provenge's success has opened the door for therapeutic vaccine approval, and has also greatly encouraged the pharmaceutical industry's passion for the development of such vaccines. Recently, Fierce Biotech, a well-known biomedical media in the United States, looked into the development of therapeutic vaccines and selected the 10 most promising therapeutic vaccines. We can see the trend of global therapeutic vaccine research and development.

NO. 1: ICT-107

Developer:ImmunCellular Therapeutics

Indications: Glioblastoma ICT-107 is a multi-tumor antigen dendritic cell derived immunotherapy for glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is a rapidly progressing, fatal brain cancer. ICT-107 allows the body to produce multiple antigens associated with glioblastoma.

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics recently began its Phase II clinical trial after the end of phase I clinical trials of the vaccine candidate ICT-107.

This phase I clinical trial included 16 newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma, with a 3 year overall survival rate of 55%. In addition to standard treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy), the patient received three ICT-107 injections. According to data, among 16 newly diagnosed GBM patients who received ICT-107, 38% had no recurrence after 3 years and 19% had remained disease-free for more than 4 years. The company previously reported that the 2-year survival rate of patients using the vaccine was 80.2%, much higher than the standard 2-year survival rate of 26.5%. There were no serious adverse events reported during the trial. Mild side effects were limited to fatigue, rash, and itching.

NO. 2: VGX-3100

By Inovio PH armaceuticals

Indications: Cervical cancer Because the purpose of therapeutic vaccines is to kill abnormal cells and organisms, developers must be clear about how to accomplish this task, and also test the effectiveness of various treatments. Inovio PH armaceuticals has made positive progress in both areas.

Inovio PH armaceuticals' VGX-3100 is a therapeutic DNA vaccine that is currently undergoing phase II trials of cervical dysplasia and cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18. These strains of sexually transmitted diseases can cause up to 70% of cervical cancers to occur. Inovio Pharmaceuticals' ongoing vaccines include leukemia and hepatitis C vaccines in phase II clinical trials and influenza and AIDS vaccines in phase I clinical trials.

NO. 3: MAGE-A3

Developer: GlaxoSmithKline Indications: Skin Cancer and Lung Cancer GlaxoSmithKline's immunotherapy research team has discovered a protein mixture that enhances the body's natural ability to overcome several cancers, all of which are The MAGE-A3 antigen was expressed. MAGE-A3 is expressed in certain tumor cells, but not normal cells. The therapy also incorporates a chemical substance, AS15, which acts as an "auxiliary drug" to increase the body's immune response to selected antigens.

GlaxoSmithKline is conducting a Phase III clinical trial of MAGE-A3 in the treatment of metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. GlaxoSmithKline reported clinical design details at the 2011 ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) conference.

If MAGE-A3 successfully tests these cancers, GlaxoSmithKline will almost certainly try to develop the vaccine for the treatment of bladder cancer and liver cancer, because these cancers often also express MAGE-A3.

NO. 4: NeuVax

By RXi Pharmaceuticals

Indications: Breast Cancer In September of this year, RXi Pharmaceuticals received US FDA approval to continue Phase III clinical trials of its experimental therapeutic vaccine NeuVax, which was acquired by RXi Pharmaceuticals in March this year through the acquisition of Apthera.

NeuVax was developed based on a single immunostimulatory peptide, E75, derived from the HER2/neu receptor. NeuVax should be combined with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as adjuvant therapy.

Positive results from the phase II clinical trial of NeuVax showed that the vaccine can delay the recurrence and progression of breast cancer in patients with low to moderate breast cancer. Such patients are not suitable for treatment with Genentech's “bombshell” drug Herceptin. NeuVax can stimulate T cells to attack cells that express HER2 at any level. For more than 50% of breast cancer patients who cannot use Herceptin, this is undoubtedly a good news.

NO. 5: AE37

By: Antigen Express

Indications: Breast cancer Like NeuVax, AE37 is expressed in approximately 75% to 80% of breast cancers, and is also frequently present in prostate cancer. Fragments of HER2 receptors in ovarian cancer and other cancers coexist to stimulate the immune system. Similarly, the initial localization of AE37 and the low level of HER2 expression are not suitable for adjuvant treatment of Herceptin in breast cancer patients.

AE37 is currently undergoing Phase II clinical trials involving more than 200 patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer. In August of this year, Antigen Express reported: "At a median follow-up of 17 months, the relapse rate of AE37-treated patients with low levels of HER2 expression was half that of the control group."

NO. 6: Nexvax2

By ImmusanT

Indications: The development of any vaccine for celiac disease faces a key challenge: the selection of proteins that produce a strong immune response. For ImmusanT, the most advantage is their understanding of celiac disease mitigation. The occurrence of celiac disease is caused by mutations in the glutenin (a protein naturally present in wheat, barley, and rye) that are caused by a particular gene and cause their body to regard glutenin as a risk factor, and T cells attack it. Destroy the intestinal wall.

Nexvax2 is an experimental therapeutic vaccine containing 3 key gluten-derived peptides. The goal of this vaccine treatment is to desensitize the patients to the toxic effects of gluten by using weekly or monthly injections.

NO. 7: ADXS-HPV

Developer: Advaxis

Indications: Cervical, head and neck cancer Advaxis is a well-known company that develops the most common sexually transmitted disease, the human papilloma virus (HPV). ADXS-HPV, the best vaccine developed by the company, is undergoing four Phase II clinical trials. Two of them are cervical cancer tests, one is head and neck cancer test, and the other is cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. test.

By designing, Advaxis can enable L. monocytogenes to secrete antigen/adjuvant fusion proteins that are believed to have a strong immune response against L. monocytogenes in all human pairs, thereby directly opposing cancer.

NO. 8: CRS-207

By Aduro Biotech

Indications: Pancreatic Cancer In early October of this year, Aduro Biotech's pancreatic cancer vaccine CRS-207 entered Phase II clinical trials. Phase I trial data for CRS-207 is encouraging. The study included 17 cases of various cancers (mesothelioma, non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer). Although traditionally, the average survival time of patients at this stage was only 3 to 5 months, the average survival time of 17 patients treated with CRS-207 was 15 months or longer. Aduro Biotech hopes that phase II trials of CRS-207 will produce better clinical results.

NO. 9: PEV7

By Pevion Biotech

Indications: Recurrent vulvovaginal numisporosis At the beginning of October this year, Pevion Biotech, a newly founded company in Switzerland, reported that the intermediate phase results of the Phase I study of the new vaccine developed by the company PEV7 for the treatment of Candida albicans showed positive results, which are chronic. Yeast infection is undoubtedly a good news.

Intramuscular injection of high-dose PEV7 vaccine trials by volunteers showed that PEV7 has a strong immune response. At the same time, the results of the study showed that the effect of high-dose vaccines was far greater than that of low doses, and there were no reports of serious adverse events.

Pevion Biotech's technology is to deliver antigens to patients through "virosomes," which are basically influenza virus envelopes that can be designed to carry antigens on their surfaces and help trigger an immune response. In addition to PEV7, Pevion also uses the same technology platform to develop other therapeutic vaccines such as respiratory syncytial virus and breast cancer vaccines.

NO. 10: GI-4000

Developer: GlobeImmune

Indications: Pancreatic cancer GlobeImmune Corporation in 2008 attracted a large amount of venture capital for the development of its vaccine candidates. Its developed Tarmogens technology is used to study targeted molecular immunogens for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The tumor candidate GI-4000 developed using the technique of Tarmogens is a vaccine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer caused by Ras protein mutation.

Tarmogen technology is the use of transgenic recombinant Baker's yeast to express the target protein, and then stimulate the immune system's T cells to fight against the expected target. David Amperer, vice president of research and development at GlobeImmune, said: "We use recombinant Baker's yeast because of its terrible threat to the immune system.