20th May 2019 11:02
LONDON (Alliance News) - Scancell Holdings PLC said Monday cancer vaccine SCIB2 is to be administered using a new nanoparticle formulation in an early stage trial.
Shares in Scancell were up 6.4% at 4.52 pence in morning trade.
Scancell and charity Cancer Research UK have a clinical development partnership for SCIB2. Under the partnership's terms, Cancer Research UK will fund and sponsor a UK-based phase 1/2 clinical trial of SCIB2, a vaccine that is intended to activate the body's immune system to attack cancer cells.
SCIB2 targets the antigen NY-ESO-1, which is expressed on a number of solid tumours, including ovarian, bladder, and prostate cancers, as well as non-small cell lung cancer. The intended effect of the vaccine is that the immune system will attack tumour cells expressing NY-ESO-1.
Pre-clinical studies of SCIB2 found that administering the vaccine as a liposomal nanoparticle produced "potent immune responses" and resulted in "prolonged survival". Liposomal nanoparticles protect DNA from degradation and make uptake of the vaccine more efficient.
Cancer Research UK is now intending to conduct a clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of SCIB2 delivered as a liposomal nanoparticle in patients.
Once the trial is complete, Scancell has the option to acquire the rights to the data and develop SCIB2 itself. If it does not do so, Cancer Research UK will retain the right to the SCIB2 programme.
Scancell Chief Executive Cliff Holloway said: "We are delighted to announce this important milestone in our partnership with Cancer Research UK, which moves us one step closer to entering the clinic."
"We believe SCIB2 has the potential to provide a much-needed treatment option for patients suffering from a range of common solid tumours including [non-small cell lung cancer], the most frequent cause of cancer death globally," Holloway added.
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