Therapeutic
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
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
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
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.
Allergy Therapeutics continues with peanut allergy study
Allergy Therapeutics announced that patients with peanut allergies had “successfully” taken the “innovative short-course peanut allergy vaccine candidate”
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...
LinKinVax and Gustave Roussy collaborate for human trial
In January 2023 LinKinVax and Gustave Roussy announced a collaboration towards a first-in-human Phase I/IIa clinical trial on a therapeutic vaccine candidate. This vaccine, CD40HVac, will target head and neck cancer associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). The...
UK and BioNTech sign MoU for mRNA cancer therapies
In January 2023 BioNTech announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK government to “benefit patients”. The goal will be to accelerate clinical trials for personalised mRNA therapeutics with a target of providing personalised cancer...
Dual-action vaccine turns cancer on itself
In findings from Brigham and Women’s Hospital published in Science Translational Medicine in January 2023, researchers reveal newly discovered potential to exploit cancer cells in the fight against cancer. Using a “dual-action, cancer-killing vaccine” in an advanced...
Cancer vaccine potential in 2023: mRNA moves forward
Towards the end of 2022 we noted the positive results of a Moderna/Merck trial for a personalised cancer vaccine in combination with KEYTRUDA therapy. After the mRNA momentum of the pandemic, there appears to be a sense of optimism in the therapeutic community for the...
Moderna and Merck meet mRNA melanoma efficacy endpoints
In December 2022 Moderna and Merck announced positive results from a Phase IIb trial of mRNA-4157/v940, an investigational personalised cancer vaccine, in combination with Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA. In this trial, the combination approach demonstrated a...
Exclusive interview with Dr Stephen Johnston
As we gear up towards the World Vaccine and Immunotherapy Congress in San Diego later this month we have been meeting a few of our speakers to get some exclusive insights before their sessions. Dr Stephen Johnston will be representing Calviri Inc. as founding CEO....
Glioblastoma vaccine offers longer life to patients
In a study published in JAMA Oncology in November 2022, researchers from America and Europe collaborated to demonstrate “clinically meaningful and statistically significant extension of survival” for patients with glioblastoma. The results are described as...
Fentanyl vaccine shows therapeutic promise in rats
A study by researchers led by the University of Houston demonstrates potential to eliminate the high caused by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The hope that it will block its ability to enter the brain has positive implications for tackling a widespread opioid...
Breast cancer vaccine: safe at Phase I trial
A study in JAMA Oncology in November 2022 suggests that researchers in the US are making progress with an experimental vaccine against breast cancer. Led by Dr Mary (Nora) L. Disis of the University of Washington Medicine Cancer Vaccine Institute, the team indicate...
Exclusive interview with Dr Christian Brander
Another highlight from this year's World Vaccine Congress in Europe was the opportunity to speak to Dr Christian Brander in person. Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Aelix Therapeutics; he and his team are based in Spain, focusing on a therapeutic HIV...
LUMC and ISA study generates “strong” results
A publication in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer in October 2022 by researchers at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) investigated the safety and immunogencity of ISA Pharmaceuticals’ Amplivant adjuvant and Synthetic Long Peptide (SLP) therapeutic...
Senescent cell potential against cancer revealed
Researchers in Europe published results in Cancer Discovery in November 2022 that indicate promising responses to vaccination with senescent cells. The researchers suggest that these cells “combine several features that render them highly efficient in activating...
BioNTech founding duo anticipate mRNA against cancer
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on the Sunday programme in October 2022, Professors Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci indicated that mRNA treatments against various cancers could be available as soon as 2030. The professors co-founded the German company BioNTech in...
Cancer therapy or prevention: where should we focus?
An article in the New York Times in October 2022 reflects that developing a cancer vaccine for high-risk patients seems like an “impossible dream”. However, recent steps suggest that we may be closer to this possibility than previously thought. While these...
