SAN DIEGO, CA, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX:NVN - News) today announced the presentation of preclinical data on HspE7, its investigational therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases. The data demonstrated greater potency and specific activation of the immune response when HspE7 was combined with either of the two adjuvants studied. The results were presented by Peter Emtage, Ph.D., Nventa’s Vice President of Research and Development at the 23rd International Papillomavirus Conference taking place from September 1st until September 7th in Prague, the Czech Republic.
“These data suggest that combining HspE7 with an adjuvant may significantly increase its potential therapeutic effect by increasing the immune response against the E7 HPV protein,” said Dr. Emtage. “This finding is notable, as we believe HspE7 plus an adjuvant represents a new potential clinical therapeutic approach to treating serious HPV-related diseases. These results were also the foundation upon which we built our new clinical strategy for HspE7. In addition, we have filed and expect to continue to file patent applications around the use of HspE7 plus adjuvant intended to lengthen the intellectual property protection around our compound.”
Nventa recently announced the completion of a supply agreement for one of the adjuvants used in this study, a compound known as Poly-ICLC or Hiltonol, with which it expects to advance HspE7 into human clinical trials. The compound has been shown to activate innate immunity and targets the Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR-3) pathway.
Previous data have shown that an injection of HspE7, composed of an antigen directly fused to Hsp65, results in tumor regression in mice. The study presented today examined the possibility of improving this immune response by adding Poly-ICLC or the TLR-9 agonist CpG. The study found that a more robust antigen-specific T cell-mediated immune response was generated by combining either of the adjuvants with HspE7. Responses measured by ELISpot analysis or observations made in vivo using antigen-positive TC-1 tumors demonstrated the combination of antigen plus either adjuvant to be far more active and potent compared to the activity of either HspE7 or adjuvant alone.
About HspE7, Lead Product Candidate:
HspE7 is a novel therapeutic vaccine candidate for the treatment of diseases caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. HspE7 is derived from Nventa’s proprietary CoVal(TM) fusion platform, which uses recombinant DNA technology to covalently fuse stress proteins to target antigens, thereby stimulating cellular immune system responses. Stress proteins, also known as heat shock proteins (Hsps), are naturally present in the human body and play important roles in the immune system, including transporting substances within cells and activating cells of the immune system.
About Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
An estimated 80 percent of sexually active men and women are infected by genital HPV at some point in their lives. Approximately 5.5 million new sexually transmitted HPV infections are reported in the U.S. each year and at least 20 million people in the U.S. are already infected. HPV infection can result in diseases including internal and external genital warts and precancerous conditions, such as cervical and anal dysplasia. Precancerous HPV-related conditions can progress into life-threatening diseases, including cervical, anal, and head and neck cancers.
About Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation:
Nventa is developing innovative therapeutics for the treatment of viral infections and cancer, with a focus on diseases caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The corporation is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NVN.
For more information about Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation, please visit the Company’s website located at www.nventacorp.com.
CONTACT: Donna Slade, Director, Investor Relations, 6055 Lusk Boulevard, San Diego, CA, USA, 92121, Tel: (858) 202-4900, Fax: (858) 450-6849, dslade@nventacorp.com
Source: Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation
