Therapeutic
Moderna and Merck announce positive DMFS results from trial
In June 2023 Moderna and Merck, who have been collaborating on a Phase IIb study to evaluate mRNA-4157 (V940), announced distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS)
Transgene presents positive cancer vaccine data for HPV
French-based biotechnology company Transgene announced in June 2023 that new data confirm that its novel investigational therapeutic cancer vaccine
T cells and cancer immunosuppression: Dr Jay Berzofsky
Our next interview is with Dr Jay Berzofsky, Chief of the Vaccine Branch at NCI’s Centre for Cancer Research. He joined us at the Congress
“Vaccines are the great levelling field”, says Dr Nora Disis
At the World Vaccine Congress last month we were lucky to meet Dr Nora Disis of the University of Washington (UW), an expert in oncology.
PDAC progress with personalised RNA neoantigen vaccines
An article in Nature in May 2023 presents work from a collaboration between Genentech, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC), and BioNTech.
Tilting the cancer battlefield with Dr Andrew Allen
At last month's Congress we were lucky to meet Dr Andrew Allen, CEO and Co-Founder of Gritstone bio, for a conversation about cancer vaccines and immunotherapy targets. He joined us at the event for the Cancer and Immunotherapy Vaccines track, and we were glad to sit...
Hitting HIV where it hurts: interview with Dr Gaurav Gaiha
Continuing our series of exclusive Congress interviews we are delighted to share a conversation with Dr Gaurav Gaiha at the Congress this month. Dr Gaiha participated in the HIV workshop on the pre-Congress day, presenting "highly networked" CD8+ T cell vaccines for...
Ultimovacs trial delayed by slow disease progression
In April 2023 Ultimovacs ASA announced that it has adjusted guidance for communication of top-line data from early 2023 to later in the year. A statement from the company indicated that this was due to slow disease progression in patients. However, it is uncertain to...
Allergy Therapeutics continues with peanut allergy study
Allergy Therapeutics announced in April 2023 that the first cohort of patients with peanut allergies had “successfully” taken the “innovative short-course peanut allergy vaccine candidate”, VLP Peanut through skin prick testing (SPT). Through the PROTECT trial, the...
Moderna granted PRIME designation by EMA for therapy
Moderna announced in April 2023 that the mRNA-4157/V940, which had been granted BTD by the US FDA in February 2023, has been awarded Priority Medicines (PRIME) scheme designation by the EMA. The investigational personalised mRNA cancer vaccine is intended for...
Vaccitech announces “promising” data for HPV vaccine
In March 2023, Vaccitech announced top-line interim data from a Phase Ib/II clinical trial of its VTP-200 vaccine in women with low-grade cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions. The vaccine is intended to treat HPV infections, catching them before the virus...
Exclusive interview with Dr Niranjan Sardesai
With just weeks to go until the World Vaccine Congress in Washington this April, we are delighted to share another in our series of exclusive interviews with some of the fantastic speakers lined up for the event. This interview was a zoom conversation with Dr Niranjan...
RVAC and Penn collaborate on possible mRNA therapies
In March 2023, RVAC Medicines and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) announced a collaboration to pursue the development of mRNA vaccines to “modulate the body’s normal immune response as possible treatments” for “certain autoimmune diseases and allergic...
Lassa vaccine in monkeys: protection not therapy
Researchers in France published a paper in Nature Communications in March 2023 detailing the results of an investigation into their Lassa fever vaccine candidate. MeV-NP was described in 2021 as providing “sufficient” protection against Lassa fever with just a single...
Moderna and Merck granted BTD for cancer therapy
Following positive results from a Phase IIb trial in December 2022, Moderna and Merck have announced that their personalised mRNA cancer vaccine, in combination with KEYTRUDA, has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA. In a statement in February...
Scancell announces “encouraging” early Modi-1 data
In February 2023 Scancell announced completion of a monotherapy dose finding arm of the Phase I/II ModiFY clinical trial. Data demonstrated that the Modi-1 cancer vaccine was “safe and well tolerated” with “encouraging early efficacy” in a head and neck cancer...
Gritstone bio and NCI collaborate on clinical trial
In February 2023 Gritstone bio and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of NIH announced a collaboration to evaluate an “autologous T cell therapy expressing a T cell receptor targeting mutated KRAS in combination with Gritstone’s KRAS-directed vaccine candidate”. The...
VBI Vaccines announces Phase II data for HBV therapy
In February 2023 VBI Vaccines announced interim data from a Phase II study evaluating a combination treatment of VBI-2601 (BRII-179) and BRII-835 (VIR-2218) in chronically infected HBV patients. The data demonstrates that the therapy was “generally well-tolerated". It...
Cancer vaccines strengthened against aggressive tumours
In research published in Nature biomedical engineering a team of scientists at Northwestern University’s International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) explored the effects of structural changes to cancer vaccines. Using chemistry and nanotechnology they changed the...
AC Immune Alzheimer’s vaccine shows promise in early trials
Swiss based AC Immune reported in January 2023 that ACI-24.060, its anti-amyloid-beta (Abeta) vaccine, had “elicited an anti-Abeta antibody response” and was “well tolerated” in patients with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It will therefore move to a second...
