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Scancell Holdings pens manufacturing agreement for cancer therapy candidate
Cancer treatment developer Scancell Holdings has signed a manufacturing agreement for its first moditope development candidate with The PolyPeptide Group, the company said on Tuesday.
The Modi-1 AMPLIVANT conjugate is intended to overcome the immune suppression induced by tumours through the stimulation of production of T cells, which seek out and kill cancer cells that would otherwise be hidden from the immune system.
Cliff Holloway, chief executive of Scancell Holdings, said: "Commencing GMP manufacture is an important step in the development of our first moditope product and is key to moving this novel therapy into the clinic in the first half of 2019."
Pre-clinical data has demonstrated that the conjugation of Modi-1 peptides to AMPLIVANT enhances immune responses against tumours by between ten and 100 fold.
The company plans to commence a phase 1 / 2 clinical trial of the product in the first half of 2019, measuring the effects on patients with triple negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer and sarcomas.
Jane Salik, chief executive of The PolyPeptide Group, said: "We are very pleased to have been selected by Scancell to manufacture Modi-1-AMPLIVANT® as this recognises our capabilities and reputation as a world leading GMP-compliant manufacturer of therapeutic peptides."
The Modi-1 AMPLIVANT conjugate has been developed through Scancell's exclusive worldwide licence to use ISA Pharmaceuticals' AMPLIVANT immunoptherapy technology, which the company acquired in February.
As of 1111 BST, Scancell Holdings' shares were up 5.45% at 14.50p.