PharmaJet announced in September 2024 that it has entered a long-term license and supply agreement with Scancell Holdings to use PharmaJet’s Stratis Intramuscular (IM) Needle-free System for the delivery of its advanced melanoma DNA vaccine. Through the agreement, Scancell will use Stratis for the clinical development and commercialisation of ImmunoBody, the advanced melanoma DNA vaccine. PharmaJet will receive development and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on net sales upon commercialisation.
Stratis
PharmaJet’s Stratis technology is a needle-free system for 0.5 ml intramuscular and subcutaneous injections that enhances the performance of nucleic acid vaccines and therapeutics. Stratis delivery has demonstrated the ability to enable “effective uptake” of the Scancell DNA melanoma vaccine; 60 patients across 15 clinical trial sites have received a total of 171 doses of SCIB1/iSCIB1+ through Stratis. This approach offers the “convenience of an off-the-shelf therapeutic cancer vaccine with the speed and enhanced patient experience of needle-free delivery”.
ImmunoBody vaccines
Scancell’s ImmuoBody vaccines are designed to generate “potent” T cell responses that provide a broad anti-tumour effect. They are DNA vaccines that encode a protein in antibody form, with the elements of the antibody that would normally bind to the target protein replaced with cancer antigen epitopes. ImmunoBody vaccine design features include:
- Epitopes that bind to MHC class I and MHC class II
- Retention of the Fc region of the protein, which targets activated dendritic cells via its specific receptor
However, Scancell highlights the “most important aspect” of the technology as the ability to initiate both direct and cross-presentation of epitopes to T cells. The “highest avidity T cell responses” are generated if different pathways are used to present the same epitope. In ImmunoBody, the DNA form is taken up and processed directly by dendritic cells and the protein form binds to the high affinity Fc receptor on dendritic cells, leading to cross-presentation.
Advancing innovation
Professor Lindy Durrant, Chief Executive Officer of Scancell, is pleased that PharmaJet delivery “works effectively” with the SCIB1/iSCIB1+ vaccines and offers a “well-received immunisation for patients”.
“Securing long term supply for the PharmaJet Stratis Needle-free Injection System is important to allow clinical and commercial development of iSCIB1+…Our ultimate goal for Scancell has been to deliver an off-the-shelf, safe, tolerable, effective therapy that can provide potent and durable anti-tumour responses for unresectable stage IV melanoma, which currently has a 5-year survival of 35%.”
PharmaJet’s Chief Scientific Officer, Nathalie Landry, looks forward to working with Scancell to “advance their innovation further in clinical development and commercialisation” with benefits for melanoma patients.
“The Scancell strategic partnership further solidifies PharmaJet’s commercial delivery platform as a leader in the delivery of nucleic acid vaccines and immunotherapies.”
For more on PharmaJet’s needle-free delivery technology, join us at the Congress in Barcelona next month. Don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletters for regular vaccine updates.
