In ONM-500, OncoNano leverages its proprietary pH-sensitive micelle technology to deliver antigens while activating innate immunity for the treatment of cancers caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). This grant award adds to an initial $6 million grant that the company received from CPRIT in 2014 for advancement of the company’s ONM-100, where OncoNano’s micelle technology is being used to intraoperatively image tumors during surgical resection, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials.
“We are excited to be awarded this impactful grant and are extremely grateful to CPRIT for their continued recognition and support of the development of OncoNano’s technology platform for identifying and treating cancer in its various forms,” says Ravi Srinivasan, Ph.D., CEO of OncoNano Medicine. “Our pH-sensitive micelle approach to cancer therapy with ONM-500 and our other product candidates have the potential to meaningfully advance cancer-specific targeting and administration.”
In part utilizing CPRIT-funded technology first invented at UT Southwestern Medical Center, ONM-500 combines contemporary advances in immunoadjuvant therapy with OncoNano’s proprietary pH-sensitive micelle delivery technology to recruit the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. An HPV tumor-specific antigen is packaged into immune-activating micelles that, when intradermally injected, accumulate in the lymph nodes and are endocytosed by dendritic cells. The relatively lower pH of intracellular endosomes causes the micelles to dissociate, resulting in the intracellular release of the antigen, activation of STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) and subsequent activation of the body’s own T-cells directed at the tumor. Through the delivery of an antigen by the STING-activating micelle, the ONM-500 immunoadjuvant complex enables a targeted and orchestrated attack on cancer cells. With this grant, OncoNano will continue advancing ONM-500 through pre-clinical development towards the clinical stage where there is a substantial unmet patient need for therapies to treat cancers caused by HPV.
“This award emphasizes CPRIT’s priority of investing in early translational research into cancer detection, prevention, and treatment. OncoNano’s technologies have significant potential for breakthroughs in cancer detection and treatment,” said Wayne Roberts, CEO of CPRIT. “Nurturing projects like OncoNano’s will continue to make Texas a hub for scientific advancement and innovation. I look forward to OncoNano’s progress as they take their technologies through development.”
Source: Company Press Release