Media Thread, page-9558

This came in my emails today but not aloud to post a link so DTShares will go nuts.
It’s this weeks news just worded simply.

Cheers.

Clinical stage immuno-oncology companyImugene (ASX: IMU)has confirmed that the world-renowned City of Hope independent cancer research and treatment centre will lead a trial of a new breast cancer treatment in the United States.

Located near Los Angeles, City of Hope is now preparing to undertake the fourth dose cohort Phase I clinical trial of Imugene’s oncolytic virotherapy candidate, CHECKvacc (HOV3, CF33-hNIS-anti-PDL1).

An immune checkpoint inhibitor armed chimeric vaccinia poxvirus, CF33-hNIS-antiPDL1, was developed in the laboratory of CF33 inventor and highly regarded specialist Professor Yuman Fong

Specially designed tumour cell killers

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are designed to both selectively kill tumour cells and activate the immune system against cancer cells, with the potential to improve clinical response and survival.

It is estimated that 43,700 deaths (43,170 women and 530 men) from breast cancer will occur in the United States alone in 2023.

However, new research is making breakthroughs in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype of breast cancer (affecting about 20% of all breast cancer patients) with a dismal median survival of 12 months.

According to Imugene, there is no current effective targeted therapy in patients with metastatic TNBC with the exception of tumours with germline BRCA mutation, which highlights TNBC as an area of unmet need.

New study testing treatment safety

Imugene managing director Leslie Chong said the purpose of the company’s current study is to evaluate the safety and initial evidence of efficacy of intra-tumoural administration of CF33-hNIS-antiPDL1 against metastatic TNBC.

The next dose cohort is now proceeding after it was approved by a protocol management team which found CHECKvacc to be safe with no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and no serious adverse reactions observed after review of all safety and tolerability data for the first 3 cohorts dosed with CHECKvacc as monotherapy.

Ms Chong said the first-in-human, Phase 1, single-centre, dose escalation study of CHECKvacc is recruiting patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Escalating trial design

Under the current trial design an initial dose escalation will be followed by an expansion to 12 patients at the final dose, which will be the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D).

“We are pleased with the results that we have seen so far with no observed toxicity with early encouraging results in oncolytic virus infection and replication in the TNBC tumours. We look forward to continuing this study and reporting to the market of its progress,” Ms Chong said.

The trial is anticipated to run for 24 months.

Strong forward program

In a letter to the company’s shareholders earlier this week from executive chairman Paul Hopper, it was noted that while the broader biotechnology sector has been slow in both global and Australian markets, the Imugene team has moved forward on many of the company’s projects, has managed the solid cash position and strategically positioned itself to re-rate in value when markets return to value investments.

The company’s current highlights include a solid balance sheet holding more than $150 million in cash, sufficient to support investments in program development for more than 2 years.

Imugene is particularly buoyed by the granting an IND for its CD19 virus by the FDA, paving the way for the commencement of clinical trials this year, for a program the company believes could be a game changer for solid tumours.