MediGene AG: m4 Award Project On The Development Of Optimized DC Vaccine Formulation Successfully Completed
Team of DC scientists now continue development work at Medigene
Martinsried/Munich, 25 June 2014. Medigene AG (MDG1, Frankfurt, Prime Standard) is pleased to announce that the team of dendritic cell (DC) scientists has successfully concluded a project for the optimized formulation of a DC vaccine for the specific treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The project was carried out at the Helmholtz-Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, HMGU, and was supported by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs as part of the m4 Award (funding reference: 1330 683 62/7/12). The optimized vaccine formulation which has been developed will form the basis of discussions that Medigene/Trianta will have with potential partners on the continued clinical development of DC vaccines for prostate cancer.
With the m4 Award program, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding innovations in the field of personalized medicine with high prospects for business success. Over the past two years, the development of an optimized DC vaccine formulation for prostate cancer has received a total of € 450,000 through this funding program at the Helmholtz-Zentrum München (HGMU). Medigene acquired the in-licensed technology and the relevant acumen with the acquisition of Trianta Immunotherapies GmbH.
Following the positive conclusion of the m4 Award project at the Helmholtz-Zentrum München (HGMU), all members of the DC scientist team are now continuing their development work at Medigene.
The platform for the development of antigen-tailored DC vaccines is the most advanced platform of the three highly innovative and complementary immunotherapy platforms of Trianta Immunotherapies GmbH. Currently the DC vaccines are being evaluated in two ongoing investigator-initiated trials in clinical phases I/II and II. Medigene/Trianta concentrates on the further development of DC vaccines in hematological malignancies and plans to initiate a further clinical study in AML in 2014.
About DC vaccines (Clinical stage, suited for treatment of minimal residual disease or use in combination therapies): Trianta has established a dendritic cell product platform that allows the design of next generation dendritic cell vaccines. Dendritic cells can take up antigens efficiently, process them and present them on their surface in a form that can induce T cells to divide and mature. Dendritic cells can also induce natural killer cells to become active and attack tumour cells. Trianta has established new, fast and efficient methods for preparation of autologous (patient-specific) mature dendritic cells that have relevant characteristics to activate both T cells and natural killer cells. They are developed to carry multiple tumour antigens to treat various types of cancer.
About m4-Award:
The m4 Award is a funding program of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It aims at research groups in Bavaria developing innovative therapies and technologies in the area of personalized medicine. The funding goes to research projects in pre-seed phase, which have a high commercialization potential. The m4 Award supports researchers to reach proof-of-concept for their innovative product ideas. In addition to project funding, the program includes professional support and consulting. The ideas shall be advanced to such a level that they can be used as a basis for starting up a business. The intention is to stimulate the Bavarian start-up scene in the field of biotechnology as a vital key technology.
About Trianta: Based on more than 15 years of extensive research in the field of immunotherapy, Trianta Immunotherapies GmbH was founded late 2013 as a spin-off of the HelmholtzZentrum München and was acquired by Medigene as a 100% subsidiary in January 2014. Trianta pursues three complementary immunotherapeutic strategies to target various tumour types and stages: next generation antigen-tailored dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, T cell receptor (TCR)-based adoptive cell therapy and T cell-targeted antibodies (TABs). Each one is focused on T cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a pivotal role in immunity.
Medigene AG is a publicly listed (Frankfurt: MDG1, prime standard) biotechnology company headquartered in Martinsried near Munich, Germany. Medigene concentrates on the development of personalized T cell immunotherapies with focus on haematological malignancies. Medigene is the first German biotech company to have revenues from a marketed product, which is distributed by commercial partners. Medigene has various drug candidates in clinical development and it is developing highly innovative treatment platforms. For more information, please visit www.medigene.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements representing the opinion of Medigene as of the date of this release. The actual results achieved by Medigene may differ significantly from the forward-looking statements made herein. Medigene is not bound to update any of these forward-looking statements. Medigene® EndoTAG® and Veregen® are registered trademarks of Medigene AG. These trademarks may be owned or licensed in select locations only.
Contact Medigene
Julia Hofmann, Claudia Burmester
Tel.: +49 - 89 - 20 00 33 - 33 01
Email: investor@medigene.com
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