NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDX) today announced positive results demonstrating promising clinical effects in a Phase 1 study of CDX-1401 in solid tumors in combination with the toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists resiquimod and/or Poly ICLC (HiltonolTM). CDX-1401 is a fusion protein consisting of a fully human monoclonal antibody with specificity for the dendritic cell receptor DEC-205 linked to the NY-ESO-1 tumor antigen. The NY-ESO-1 antigen is expressed in a variety of cancer cells. Targeting protein antigens to the DEC-205 receptor on dendritic cells was pioneered by the late Ralph Steinman, MD, a member of Celldex’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Steinman received the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity. In preclinical studies, CDX-1401 has been shown to induce potent and broad immunity. The Phase 1 study of CDX-1401 is the first clinical study to demonstrate that an off-the-shelf vaccine that targets dendritic cells in vivo through DEC-205 can safely lead to robust humoral and cellular immunity when combined with TLR agonists in cancer patients - overcoming a significant challenge in the development of protein based vaccines.
