The vaccine, which was developed by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center scientists, consists of DNA encoding a form of the tyrosinase protein. In the first stage of the trial, the vaccine was delivered five times over the course of 15 weeks to six subjects, three each at the low and medium dose levels, with the company’s TriGrid Delivery System.
In contrast to conventional vaccines, DNA vaccines must be delivered intracellularly to elicit an immune response. Company’s TriGrid uses electroporation to open pathways into cells, dramatically increasing the intracellular delivery of the DNA vaccine into the cells at the site of administration. Studies have shown that TriGrid electroporation can increase potency over 100 times compared to other methods of delivery.
Jedd Wolchok, principal investigator of the study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center, said: “We believe that the immune system can be trained to recognize cancer as something that is foreign and dangerous. But delivering enough of the DNA vaccine into cells so that the encoded antigen can be produced in sufficient amounts to cause an immune response has been a significant challenge.”