Scancell Holdings PLC (AIM:SCLP, OTC:SCNLF), a developer of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, has reached a pivotal milestone in its clinical development with the commencement of treatment of the first patient with its new therapeutic, iSCIB1+.
The Scancell discovery will be administered in combination with a doublet checkpoint inhibitor therapy in the SCOPE trial. So, they will receive also receive ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo), two drugs known for their effectiveness in cancer treatment.
Professor Lindy Durrant, chief executive, said: "As we have previously communicated, we anticipate that iSCIB1+ will be as effective as SCIB1 and could be a promising candidate for registration studies."
iSCIB1+ is an enhanced version of SCIB1, developed through Scancell's AvidiMab platform to increase its effectiveness.
By incorporating additional melanoma-specific epitopes, iSCIB1+ is aimed at a broader patient base beyond the 40% whose treatment with SCIB1 is dependent on their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type.
"We are very excited to have dosed our patient in the iSCIB1+ in combination with the doublet checkpoint cohort of the SCOPE trial," said Dr L S Prasad Kellati, consultant medical oncologist at Royal Preston Hospital.
"With its potentially increased potency and applicability to a broader patient profile, we believe iSCIB1+ represents a major step forward in providing more metastatic melanoma patients the potential benefits of combining standard-of-care checkpoint therapy with Scancell's innovative cancer vaccines."
The outcomes from the SCIB1 and iSCIB1+ cohorts, administered alongside doublet therapy, will guide Scancell in deciding on initiating a randomised phase II/III seamless adaptive registration program for patients with unresectable melanoma- a market with a potential value of $1.5 billion annually.
The phase II segment of this trial is expected to last 18 months and is likely to attract considerable interest from potential partners, marking a significant stride in the fight against melanoma.