- TET platform shows efficient T cell priming and beneficial safety profile
- Data supported clinical transition to ongoing TENDU Phase I trial
- TET platform offers potential to strengthen T cell response to cancer cells
Oslo, 8 April 2022: Ultimovacs ASA (“Ultimovacs”) (OSE ULTI), a clinical stage leader in immune stimulatory vaccines for cancer, presents data on the Tetanus-Epitope Targeting (TET)-platform, the company’s technology for improving tumor-reactive T cell responses via pre-existing tetanus-specific immunity.
The data shows that TET enables the efficient and antigen-specific T cell priming required for an effective vaccine adjuvant system, with no safety concerns. It will be presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) taking place on April 8-13, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana (AACR22).
The TET technology makes use of pre-existing anti-tetanus toxoid antibodies – present in anybody vaccinated against tetanus infections – to improve the bioavailability, stability, and immunogenicity of tumor-derived peptide therapeutics. To create the TET-based vaccine used in Ultimovacs’ ongoing TENDU Phase 1 dose escalation study in prostate cancer, four distinct synthetic long peptides derived from prostate tumor associated antigen were conjugated to a core molecule.
The AACR poster describes a number of important elements of the immune response to TET-based conjugates. Tests in a preclinical model demonstrated that a TET-based conjugate enhanced T cell priming in human transgenic HLA-DR4 mice. Recall T cell responses were measurable in human blood in response to the TET-based conjugates.
The data also showed the reassuring safety profile of the TET system. There were no signs of toxicity in preclinical assessments and there was no suggestion of risk of immunotoxicity when studying cytokine release and complement activation.
“We are pleased to present the data supporting the progress to the clinic of our TET technology,” said Carlos de Sousa, Chief Executive Officer of Ultimovacs. “When the results from the TENDU trial are available, the Company will be better positioned to make decisions regarding the next steps in the clinical development of the exciting TET platform.”
The TET platform allows for the production of multiple therapeutic cancer vaccines. It can be used to strengthen and increase T cell responses to cancer cells by targeting antigens that are specific to one type of cancer or common to many tumor types. By combining cancer antigens and the vaccine adjuvant in the same molecule, this TET platform can generate vaccine candidates with a beneficial safety and administration profile, presenting an opportunity to treat patients at an early stage of their disease.
The AACR poster presentation (#4160) is entitled “Promoting immunogencity of synthetic long peptide vaccines based on in vivo IgG complex formation: Preclinical evaluation and clinical entry of the TET platform”
The poster will be presented on Monday April 11, 2022 in New Orleans Convention Center, Exhibit Halls D-H, Poster Section 22, and is available on Ultimovacs’ website in the “Presentations and Publications”-section.
The abstract is published in the online Proceedings of the AACR.
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About the TET-platform
The Tetanus-Epitope Targeting(TET)-platform offers an approach to strengthen and increase T cell responses against cancer-specific peptides by combining cancer-specific antigens and vaccine adjuvant in the same conjugated molecule, allowing for a beneficial safety profile and simplifying administration. The platform generates new, first-in-class cancer vaccine candidates that harness pre-existing antibody responses resulting from standard tetanus vaccinations. TET vaccine candidates can be tailored to many types of cancer.
About TENDU
The TENDU clinical trial (NCT04701021) is a first-in-human, Phase I study and the first clinical trial of a vaccine from Ultimovacs’ Tetanus-Epitope Targeting (TET)-platform. The trial is being conducted at the Oslo University Hospital, Norway, and evaluates the safety of the vaccine in prostate cancer patients who have relapsed after radical prostatectomy. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of three different doses of the vaccine. Patients will receive the vaccine prior to obtaining standard-of-care treatment consisting of radiation and antihormone therapy and will be followed for 6 months after the last dose of the vaccine to assess immunological responses such as the activation of T cells and anti-tumor activity.
About Ultimovacs
Ultimovacs is developing immune-stimulatory vaccines to treat a broad range of cancers. Ultimovacs’ lead universal cancer vaccine candidate UV1 targets human telomerase (hTERT), present in 85-90% of cancers in all stages of tumor growth. By directing the immune system to hTERT antigens, UV1 drives CD4 helper T cells to the tumor to activate an immune system cascade and increase anti-tumor responses. With a broad Phase II program, Ultimovacs aims to clinically demonstrate UV1’s impact in multiple cancer types in combination with other immunotherapies. Ultimovacs’ second technology approach, based on the proprietary Tetanus-Epitope-Targeting (TET) platform, combines tumor-specific peptides and adjuvant in the same molecule and entered Phase I studies in 2021.
For further information, please see www.ultimovacs.com or contact:
Carlos de Sousa, CEO
Email: carlos.desousa@ultimovacs.com
Phone: +47 908 92507
Anne Worsøe, Head of IR & Communication
Email: anne.worsoe@ultimovacs.com
Phone: +47 90686815
Mary-Ann Chang, LifeSci Advisors
Email: mchang@lifesciadvisors.com
Phone: +44 7483 284 853
