TapImmune, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing peptide and gene-based immunotherapeutics for cancer and metastatic disease, announced the receipt of a $3.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The grant is to be used in carrying out a Phase 2 clinical study on the company’s HER2/neu-targeted T-cell vaccine. The trial will enroll women diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Should the results of the study prove to be successful, the vaccine has the potential to replace standard surgery and chemotherapy, possibly playing a key role in the routine immunization schedule for preventing breast cancer.
CEO and Chairman of TapImmune, Dr. Glynn Wilson released a statement concerning the study noting, “This is our second T-cell vaccine candidate to be tested in a DoD-funded Phase 2 study to the Mayo Clinic, and it marks our expansion into a second breast cancer indication.”
He explained that the study involving the new vaccine could potentially demonstrate the company’s approach to treatment for both breast cancer and precancerous lesions. The fully funded study also opens the door for the company to test other products in its pipelines, including one for the treatment of ovarian cancer.”
Keith Knutson, Ph.D., Director of the Discovery and Translational Labs Cancer Research Program at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus will lead the study, which will enroll approximately 40-45 women with DCIS, all of whom will receive the vaccine six weeks in advance of standard surgical resection. TapImmune’s vaccine has been shown to stimulate production of T-cells directed against breast cancer cells that overexpress the oncogene HER2 in a previously conducted Phase 1 study.film The Mummy 2017 streaming
DCIS accounts for approximately 20%, or 60,000 of U.S. breast cancer diagnoses. TapImmune holds a license for the technology behind the HER2neu vaccine, in addition to worldwide exclusive rights to commercialize it. TapImmune has also secured funding for providing a manufactured product for the trial. The study is slated to begin in 2017.
For more on TapImmune, visit the company’s website.