Similarities between Merck, Pfizer, Immune Design and Oncosec leans more towards combinations and the future of immunotherapy.
On June 11, 2013, OncoSec signed a Sponsored Research Agreement with Old Dominion University and the Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics. Under the agreement, OncoSec and the University would collaborate on nonclinical research focused on developing new technology related to electroporation and delivery of different agents into solid tumors by electroporation.
The first research experiment under this SRA was to evaluate the effects of ImmunoPulse in combination with Anti-CTLA4, Anti-PD1 and Anti-PDL-1 in a melanoma mouse model. The study began that same month and data from these experiments are still pending. The idea is to figure out how ImmunoPulse can be combined with other therapies to either improve the effectiveness or broaden its use into other indications.
On May 7, 2015, Dr. Pierce showed at the 11th Annual PEGS how new cases from the melanoma trial and Phase II Merkel cell carcinoma trial, showed intratumoral electroporation of DNA-based IL-12 driving a CD8+ TIL response. This provided additional evidence that OncoSec's immunotherapies can play an important role in cancer treatment. Dr. Pierce said that results will be release after they are further analyzed.
At the same time, Pfizer and Merck have agreed to collaborate on the development of the Anti-PD-L1 inhibitor MSB0010718C as a potential treatment for multiple types of cancer. There is already a mid-stage trial of anti-PD-L1 in patients with MCC on its way. By the time that study is completed, Oncosec will be more advanced on their combination trial with Keytruda (anti PD-1), if not completed, and will be able to show that ImmunoPulse IL-12 can make a difference when combined.
Meanwhile, Immune Design has partnered with the subsidiaries of Merck to assess the safety and efficacy of its oncology investigative agents, G100 and LV305, with Merck's Keytruda for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and melanoma. The Phase I trials will evaluate the safety and efficacy of both investigative agents separately combined with an anti-PD-1 therapy. G100 is an agent designed to generate a robust anti-tumor immune response when administered directly to the tumor micro-environment. It is a synthetic toll-like receptor 4 agonist which enhances T-cell responses.
On a recent study of MCC, Dr. Bhatia designed a trial to evaluate ID-G100 in patients with the cancer. The trial will provide insights into the ability of ID-G100 to stimulate an immune response in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma. Immune Design is a clinical stage bio company with a recent IPO trading at $16 in charge of the trial. It can be compared to Oncosec in their finances as well as who they are collaborating with. The investigator-sponsored trial is being conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where Oncosec has a clinical research division and is working along with Dr. Paul Nghiem and DR. Shailender Bhatia, who have done an exploratory analysis of samples from Oncosec’s data collected from patients in the Phase II study in Merkel cell carcinoma trial which will have final clinical results later this month.
"We were impressed by the results of the Phase I study in malignant melanoma patients and strongly believe that OMS ElectroImmunotherapy will be especially effective in an immunogenic cancer such as Merkel cell carcinoma," commented Dr. Shailender Bhatia, principal investigator at the University of Washington.
Immune Design CEO, Dr Carlos Paya has said: "There is great potential to expand the potential of immunotherapy through combination approaches that will stimulate and enhance the immune system in order to mount the strongest response against cancer." A second clinical study in melanoma will assess safety and response to the combination of LV305 and Keytruda in patients who have not yet responded to treatment with Keytruda alone after three months of treatment. Immune Design has designed G100 and LV305 investigational agents to work in vivo and activate the immune system through the induction or expansion of anti-tumor CD8 T cells.
G100 is a potent toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) agonist being developed to generate a robust anti-tumour immune response when administered directly to the tumour micro-environment.In contrast, LV305 is being developed to activate the immune system through the in vivo generation of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), initially against a specific tumour-associated antigen, NY-ESO-1.
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