IMUC engages Formatech to develop optimal formulation of cancer vaccine

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics or IMUC, a biotechnology company, has signed an agreement with Formatech, a provider of product development and aseptic fill finish manufacturing services, for the development of an optimal formulation of IMUC’s cancer stem cell vaccine product candidate, ICT-121.

This agreement calls for Formatech to develop a formulation for ICT-121 that allows for long-term stability of the vaccine as well as suitability for intradermal injection.

ICT-121 is IMUC’s lead product candidate and is an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine that targets cancer stem cells and may have applicability to multiple types of cancer.

Manish Singh, president and CEO of IMUC, said: We believe that successful development of the ICT-121 formulation should put us in a good position to initiate our clinical trial, for which we expect, subject to FDA clearance, to file an investigational new drug application for a Phase I clinical trial in the third quarter of 2009.

In preclinical studies, ICT-121 was shown to be highly targeted for destroying cancer stem cells present in brain tumors. We are excited about ICT-121’s potential and believe that it may someday be able to provide patients with a targeted approach to destroying cancer cells while maintaining an attractive safety profile.