TroVax Mesolthelioma Collabor

RNS Number : 9874N

Oxford Biomedica PLC

24 June 2010

 



OXFORD BIOMEDICA ANNOUNCES COLLABORATIVE PHASE I/II STUDY TO EVALUATE TROVAX^® IN MESOTHELIOMA

Oxford, UK - 24 June 2010: Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a leading gene therapy company, is pleased to announce that it has entered a collaboration with a team of cancer immunologists led by Dr Zsuzsanna Tabi at Cardiff University and in partnership with Dr Jason Lester, an oncologist at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, to evaluate TroVax^Ò in a Phase I/II study in mesothelioma.  The study will be funded by the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund (JHMRF) and Oxford BioMedica will provide TroVax^Ò, its therapeutic cancer vaccine. The study aims to examine the effect of TroVax^Ò in combination with first-line chemotherapy agents Alimta and cisplatin as a treatment against mesothelioma.  This study follows a feasibility project undertaken by Dr. Tabi and her team which was also funded by the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund.

Commenting on today's announcement, Dr Tabi said: "We are very excited aboutconducting this cancer vaccine trial in mesothelioma patients. The continuing support of our work by the June Hancock Fund and collaboration with Oxford BioMedica made this trial possible for which we are very grateful. We hope that patient recruitment can start later in the year."

Therapeutic cancer vaccines can be used in a number of ways. They can be injected into patients to stimulate the body's own defence system to produce immune cells and antibodies which attack the cancer cells by targeting specific markers (antigens) on them. Alternatively, cell-based immunotherapies use the patients' own immune cells, treated in the laboratory to fight cancer cells more effectively, before injecting them back into the patient.  TroVax^Ò is a cancer vaccine which targets 5T4, a protein expressed on most common tumour types and which has recently been shown to be present on mesothelioma cells by Dr Tabi and her colleagues.  TroVax^Ò has been shown to be safe and effective at inducing immune responses in other types of cancer but this study will be the first time that it will be used as a treatment for mesothelioma in the UK.

Stuart Naylor, Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford BioMedica, commented: "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to continue to work with the JHMRF and our colleagues at Velindre Hospital. The pioneering work undertaken by Dr. Tabi and her colleagues has identified 5T4 as an exciting new therapeutic target in mesothelioma, a disease which has few treatment options available to patients."

JHMRF is constantly seeking to advance the range and type of treatments on offer to patients by supporting high quality research and exploring novel approaches.  JHMRF trustee Dr Kate Hill commented: "The JHMRF is delighted to continue its association with Dr Tabi. The Cardiff immunology team is well established in its field and has shown a tremendous commitment to working with the JHMRF to pursue research in mesothelioma. There are never guarantees in any type of experimental research but we believe that immunotherapy has great potential in the treatment of mesothelioma."

Immunotherapy may offer new ways of attacking tumours by targeting the unique markers on cancer cells. Dendreon, a US biotech company, recently became the first to have a cancer vaccine approved by the US drug licensing agency. It is hoped that this breakthrough demonstrates the potential of immunotherapy products and will stimulate further investment which will ultimately lead to cancer vaccines becoming a standard tool in the oncologist's armoury.

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For further information, please contact:
Oxford BioMedica plc: John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer	Tel: [phone]
Media/Financial Enquiries: Emma Thompson/ Rob Newman/ Ben Simons M:Communications	Tel: [phone]
US Enquiries: Thomas Fechtner The Trout Group LLC	Tel: [phone]

Notes to editors

1. Oxford BioMedica^®

Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB) is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative gene-based medicines and therapeutic vaccines that aim to improve the lives of patients with high unmet medical needs. The Company's technology platform includes a highly efficient gene delivery system (LentiVector^®), which has specific advantages for targeting diseases of the central nervous system and the eye; and a unique tumour antigen (5T4), which is an ideal target for anti-cancer therapy. Through in-house and collaborative research, Oxford BioMedica has a broad pipeline and its partners include sanofi-aventis, Sigma-Aldrich and Pfizer. Technology licensees include Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co and Pfizer. Further information is available at www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk

2. The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund

The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund is an independent UK mesothelioma charity (Registered No 1121784).  The Fund supports high quality research in mesothelioma, raises awareness of the disease amongst healthcare professionals and the public at large and provides information for mesothelioma sufferers and their carers.  For more see www.junehancockfund.org

3. Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer which develops between 15 and 60 years after exposure to asbestos in the two-layered membrane surrounding the lungs and lining the inside of the rib cage (pleura). 

·      Mesothelioma kills one person every five hours in the UK, yet only six per cent of people are aware of the disease

·      The rising number of deaths from the condition is linked to the use of asbestos in the building industry up until the mid 1980s

·      The number of mesothelioma deaths each year in the UK has increased from 153 in 1968 to around 2000 today

·      Experts predict that we will face a mesothelioma epidemic between 2011 and 2015

·      More than 60,000 people in the UK are expected to die of the disease by 2050

 

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