The initial goal of the collaboration will be to investigate synergies in the cancer vaccine approaches of the two companies. A specific focus will be on oncogenes over-expressed in breast, ovarian, prostate, stomach and colon cancer, as well as a variety of other malignancies.
Within this collaboration, Generex wholly-owned immunotherapy subsidiary Antigen Express combines Pevion Biotech’s virosome technology with its own technology and is conducting trials in patients with breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. The combination of the two technologies will stimulate different portions of the immune system.
Pevion Biotech has developed products based upon its virosome technology to enhance the vaccine potency of various antigens. Antigen Express is developing next-generation immunotherapeutic peptides using technology to increase antigen-specific stimulation of CD4+ T helper cells.
Rinaldo Zurbriggen, chief scientific officer of Pevion, said: “This is a great opportunity to collaborate with qualified and experienced partners in the cancer field to advance their antigens as a potential next-generation immunotherapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer.”