Clinical stage immuno-oncology company Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF) is showcasing its leading therapies, VAXINIA and HER-Vaxx, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego from April 5-10.
Survival benefit from HER-Vaxx vaccination
The company revealed promising outcomes in cancer treatment, including complete and partial responses in patients, and reported a notable survival benefit with HER-Vaxx vaccination.
The VAXINIA oncolytic virus, CF33-hNIS, used alone or with KEYTRUDA®, showed safety and efficacy in treating advanced cancer, leading to expanded research in biliary tract cancer and other types.
Noteworthy results from the MAST trial were highlighted, such as a complete immunological response in a patient with cholangiocarcinoma.
Daneng Li MD, from City of Hope, praised the novel virus’s ability to manage various cancer types, providing new hope for patients.
Anti-tumour activity from VAXINIA
Imugene managing director and CEO Leslie Chong said: "Preliminary data from the MAST trial demonstrates encouraging anti-tumour activity with our oncolytic virus CF33-hNIS (VAXINIA).
“Notably, one patient with cholangiocarcinoma, or biliary tract cancer, achieved an immunological complete response (CR), meaning the disappearance of all signs of their cancer after treatment with VAXINIA, with no known recurrence after one year.
“These encouraging results warrant further investigation in patients will biliary tract cancer and other cancers.
“In addition, further analysis of the T cell repertoire reveals that T cell diversity may serve a predictive biomarker, which can be used to prospectively identify appropriate patients for treatment.”
In addition, HER-Vaxx, a B cell immunotherapy, demonstrated significant survival benefits and tumour reduction, affirming its potential as a viable alternative to monoclonal antibodies in cancer treatment.
Compared to chemotherapy alone, vaccination with HER-Vaxx was associated with a 40% overall survival benefit.
What’s more, HER-Vaxx-induced HER2-specific antibody levels correlate with tumour reduction.