Cancer Research UK and immatics biotechnologies launch trial for brain cancer vaccine

The treatment IMA950, is a vaccine developed specifically for glioblastoma which is an aggressive form of glioma. The vaccine will direct and boost the body’s immune system to enable it to fight cancer. The vaccine will be used together with the standard treatments of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

IMA950 contains 11 peptides – strings of amino acids – that are found on the surface of glioblastoma tumours but not on the surface of healthy cells.  These peptides when incorporated into the vaccine ‘train’ T cells in the immune system to recognise cancer cells as unhealthy cells – and then to target and destroy them. Using a large number of peptides compared with a small number increases the chance of a beneficial immune response.

The launch of the trial is the result of Cancer Research UK's innovative Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) scheme. CDP is a joint initiative between Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office and Cancer Research Technology, to put drugs that otherwise cannot be developed by pharmaceutical companies through early phase clinical trials. Trials of experimental drugs such as this may have not been possible without this initiative, which strives to deliver the latest potential treatments to cancer patients - and increase survival.

Up to 45 patients newly diagnosed with this form of glioma will take part in this first trial of IMA950 and receive a number of doses of the vaccine. The trial, is taking place at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow and up to four other hospitals yet to be confirmed across the UK. The trial has been set up through Cancer Research UK’s Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network and it will be managed by the charity’s Drug Development Office (DDO).

Under the terms of the partnership, Cancer Research UK is funding the trial and after the trial, immatics biotechnologies will have an option to further develop and commercialise the drug in exchange for future payments to the charity. Nigel Blackburn, director of drug development at Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office, said: “It’s really great news that we have launched this trial for a vaccine which could boost the current treatment for brain cancer. Our scientists are working at the cutting edge of the field to find new and powerful ways to treat cancer. Using the immune system to fight cancer is an exciting area of research and something we are heavily investing in as a promising way to treat a broad range of cancers.”

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research Technology’s licensing manager, said: “This is a truly collaborative deal between our world-class scientists and immatics biotechnologies to ensure promising therapeutic programmes reach patients.”

Harpreet Singh, CSO of immatics said: ”We are delighted to have joined forces with Cancer Research UK and the University of Glasgow to fight brain cancer. It is pleasing to see that the very first patients have now begun treatment with IMA950 - this is a major step on a path to create a highly innovative new treatment for this deadly disease.”
Professor Roy Rampling, from the University of Glasgow who will lead the study nationally said: “One of the hardest parts of my job is telling someone they have brain cancer.

“Glioblastoma can be challenging to treat because there are limited options for therapy – there’s a real need for new treatments for this disease.”

* Glioblastoma multiforme is an advanced type of glioma. More than 2,000 glioblastoma multiforme tumours are diagnosed in the UK each year. You can find out more about glioma and other cancers from Cancer Research UK’s patient information website CancerHelp UK: www.cancerhelp.org.uk 

** Cancer Research Technology has so far formed six such partnerships with industry to develop promising drugs.

About Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office

Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office has an impressive record of developing novel treatments for cancer.  It currently has a portfolio of approximately 40 new anti-cancer agents in preclinical development, phase I or early phase II clinical trials. Since 1982, the Cancer Research UK Drug Development Office has taken over 100 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in patients, five of which have made it to market and many others are still in development. These include temozolomide, a drug discovered by Cancer Research UK scientists, that is an effective new treatment for brain cancer. Six other drugs are in late development phase III trials. This rate of success is comparable to that of any pharmaceutical company.

About the ECMC network

Cancer Research UK and the Departments of Health in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland launched a network of 19 Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres(ECMC) across the UK in April 2007, in a £35 million, five-year investment. Each ECMC brings together lab-based experts in cancer biology with cancer doctors to speed up the flow of ideas from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside. Find out more at www.ecmcnetwork.org.uk 

About immatics

immatics biotechnologies is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing advanced therapeutic vaccines that are active against cancer. immatics’ lead product, IMA901, has completed a successful Phase II trial in renal cell carcinoma. immatics’ pipeline also includes IMA910, in Phase II for colorectal cancer, and IMA950 which is being developed for glioma.

immatics’ technology platform rapidly generates defined therapeutic cancer vaccines which are based on multiple tumour-associated peptides (TUMAPs) with the ability to specifically stimulate the immune system against cancer cells.These vaccines – comprising multiple peptides confirmed to be naturally presented by real tumor tissue – offer greater effectiveness than existing cancer vaccine approaches. immatics’ products are ‘drug like’ with stable, off- the-shelf formulations and robust easily scalable manufacturing.

immatics is based in Tuebingen and Munich, Germany, and has raised more than €100 million (US$130million)  in private equity in three financing rounds.
For additional information on immatics please visit www.immatics.com