Advaxis doses first patient with ADXS-NEO cancer immunotherapy

ADXS-NEO is being evaluated in an open-label, dose-escalation, multicenter Phase 1 clinical trial in the United States.

The study is open to patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), metastatic microsatellite stable colon cancer and metastatic squamous head and neck cancer.

The first patient dosed is being treated for non-small cell lung cancer. ADXS-NEO is being developed in collaboration with Amgen. Advaxis is leading clinical development through proof-of-concept.

Pre-clinical findings for ADXS-NEO were presented at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.

The company presented data in mouse models showing that ADXS-NEO generates T cell responses against neoantigen peptides that control tumor growth, even when they were identified as “non-immunogenic” using a conventional peptide-adjuvant immunization.

Additionally, data were presented highlighting the capacity of the Advaxis Lm vector and its ability to target frameshift mutations of greater than 90 amino acids, and to generate T cells to multiple neoantigens per frameshift in tumor mouse models.

Advaxis president and CEO Kenneth Berlin said: “We are extremely pleased to advance ADXS-NEO into the clinic. This program brings our clinically-validated Lm Technology to the cutting-edge area of neoantigen immuno-oncology.

“We are committed to realizing the potential of ADXS-NEO to mobilize patients’ immune systems against mutations that accumulate within and contribute to the development of their cancer, and to bring the potential benefits of our technology to more patients and their families.”

Enrolled patients will undergo a biopsy, and Advaxis will then manufacture an investigational personalized treatment for each patient based on an analysis of their tumor neoantigen mutations, which will be ready to dose within 8 weeks of the initial biopsy.

Source: Company Press Release