GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presents a paper regarding its Nanoparticle-Based Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting at National Harbor, MD held November 6-9, 2014. The paper is titled:
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"A Cancer Therapeutic Nanoparticle Vaccine Targeting Human Aspartyl (Asparaginyl) Beta Hydroxylase (HAAH) Improves 3-Week Survival from 12.5% to 100% in a Mouse Model of Metastatic Breast Cancer"
Panacea has determined to target the HAAH molecule for its proprietary therapeutic cancer vaccine. HAAH is expressed on cancer cells and not on non-cancer cells and its function is consistent with the etiology of cancer, i.e., is associated with growth, motility and invasiveness of cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies to HAAH have proven to have efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo tumor models. HAAH is, however, an embryonic antigen, and as such, presents self-antigen tolerance. The present vaccine entity is designed to overcome this tolerance by altering the presentation of the antigen and by providing an immunostimulant. The nanoparticle is a neutralized bacteriophage construct containing portions of the HAAH, is easy to produce and has a good safety profile. The nanoparticle vaccie carries 200-300 copies of HAAH fragments of approximately 25 kDa molecular weight on its surface. The nanoparticle vaccine also contains phage DNA fragments that present the CpG motif to activate the MHC class II pathway. We have engineered and manufactured the nanoparticle vaccine to meet FDA requirements for human use.
The nanoparticle therapeutic cancer vaccine targeting HAAH is clearly immunogenic in mice despite the high degree of homology to the human protein that makes the HAAH resemble a self-antigen. The vaccine is effective in inhibiting tumor growth in mice under various conditions and can slow the growth of tumors prophylactically or by treatment with or subsequent to the establishment of solid tumors.
The current study expands our investigation to include a metastatic model of breast cancer. In this paper, we present data that the HAAH-3 lambda vaccine construct (the C-terminal portion of the HAAH molecule) increased survival from 12.5% in the control animals to 100% in the vaccinated group.
"We are excited to report that the nanoparticle-based therapeutic vaccine targeting HAAH can significantly increase survival in a metastatic model of breast cancer", said Hossein Ghanbari, Ph.D., CEO and CSO of Panacea. "The HAAH phage constructs are now being developed as clinical candidate vaccines and we are taking all the steps to prepare for an IND submisson to FDA", said Steven Fuller, Ph.D., COO of Panacea.
Media Contact:Steven Fuller, Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 240-454-8010, sfuller@panaceapharma.com
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SOURCE Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
