Part 2 patients have median survival time of 28 months since study entry All resected patients are still alive with median survival time of 30 months and 27 months for Stage III and IV patients, respectively

Scancell Holdings plc, (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’) the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announces that Joint CEOs Dr Richard Goodfellow and Professor Lindy Durrant will be making corporate presentations 12-15 January 2015, coincident with JP Morgan’s 33rd Annual Healthcare Conference, San Francisco, CA, USA.

A very encouraging update on clinical outcomes in the Company’s on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma treated with the SCIB1 ImmunoBody® will be given as part of these presentations. It will be reported that the overall median survival of Part 1 patients with tumour present at trial entry and who received at least three doses of 2-8mg of SCIB1 is 24 months. This compares favourably with first line untreated Stage IV disease where patients with no visceral disease had a median survival of 11 months and patients with visceral disease had a median survival of six months (Sosman et al., 2011 Cancer 117:4740-4706). The status of the patients with resected tumours at study entry is equally promising. The 14 patients in Part 2 of the trial have been on study for 23-32 months (median 28 months) and only three have evidence of disease progression. Of particular note, all resected patients (n=16; two from Part 1 and 14 from Part 2) are still alive and only four have progressed. The median recurrence-free survival (when 50% of patients have died) has not been reached; these resected patients have a median survival time of 30 months for Stage III patients (n=9) and 27 months for Stage IV patients (n=7). This compares very favourably with reported data from a peptide vaccine trial following two years of treatment, in which 50% of Stage III patients had disease progression and 19% had died; while 52% of Stage IV patients had disease progression and 33% had died (Slingluff et al., 2011 J Clin Oncol 29:2924-2932).

Richard Goodfellow, Joint CEO of Scancell, said: “The maturing clinical data from our lead ImmunoBody®, SCIB1, continues to enhance our confidence in the clinical value of SCIB1 as monotherapy, especially in the adjuvant setting, a huge and relatively untapped market.”

-ENDS-

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms.

Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1, when used as monotherapy, has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system: the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Pre-clinical data on a combination of SCIB1 and checkpoint inhibition (blockade of the PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway) has shown enhanced tumour destruction and significantly longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4+ T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings Plc

Interim Results for the six months ended 31 October 2014

SCIB1 continues to generate highly encouraging survival data; Modi-1 vaccine on track for 2016 entry into clinic

Scancell Holdings plc, (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’) the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announces its interim results for the six months ended 31 October 2014.

Highlights

• Data from the on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma treated with the SCIB1 ImmunoBody shows highly encouraging survival times in both Part 1 and Part 2 patient groups
• Pre-clinical data demonstrates that a combination of SCIB1 and checkpoint inhibition (PD-1 blockade) produced enhanced tumour destruction and longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone, supporting use of the combination for later stage disease
• Adjuvant melanoma* represents a significant new market opportunity for SCIB1
• SCIB2 vaccine ready for further pre-clinical development as a potential immunotherapy for any tumour expressing the NY-ESO-1 antigen
• Patent granted in the US for Scancell’s DNA ImmunoBody® platform technology, following the grant of counterparts in Australia, China and Japan
• Modi-1, lead vaccine from Moditope® platform, is on schedule for clinical trials in 2016
• Two new Moditope® protein targets identified
• Loss for the six month period of £1,339,915 (2013: loss: £1,187,574)
• Group cash balance at 31 October 2014 was £4,302,052 (30 April 2014: £5,566,234)

Richard Goodfellow, Joint CEO of Scancell, said: “We are delighted that our lead ImmunoBody®, SCIB1, continues to show the potential to extend the lives of melanoma patients without serious side effects. This encouraging data makes us increasingly optimistic about the clinical value of SCIB1 as monotherapy, especially in the adjuvant setting, a huge and relatively untapped market. Furthermore, the increased survival times when SCIB1 was combined with PD-1 blockade in pre-clinical studies gives us confidence that SCIB1 also has significant potential in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for late stage disease."

“Our Moditope® platform is progressing well with Modi-1 expected to start clinical trials in 2016. Two additional Moditope® protein targets have also now been identified. The market opportunity for our two innovative technology platforms, ImmunoBody® and Moditope®, is significant and we remain committed to evaluating all available options for the realisation of shareholder value.”

-ENDS-

*Patients without measurable disease following surgery but where there remains a high risk of relapse

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms.

Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1, when used as monotherapy, has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system: the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Pre-clinical data on a combination of SCIB1 and checkpoint inhibition (blockade of the PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway) has shown enhanced tumour destruction and significantly longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4+ T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Click here to read the full Interim Results Report

Scancell Holdings Plc

AGM research and development update highlights progress in both SCIB1 clinical trial and Moditope® platform

 Scancell Holdings Plc, (AIM:SCLP), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, will today provide a research and development update following the Company’s AGM. Dr Richard Goodfellow and Prof Lindy Durrant, Scancell’s joint CEOs, will present an update on progress with the new Moditope® platform as well as the ongoing SCIB1 Phase 1/2 clinical trial in malignant melanoma, the lead programme from the Company’s ImmunoBodyplatform.

Highlights

• Encouraging survival and safety data from Phase 1/2 clinical trial suggests that SCIB1 has the potential to become the first effective stand-alone treatment for adjuvant melanoma. All 16 patients with fully resected disease are still alive with a median survival of 26 months after starting treatment and only four have shown disease progression
• Adjuvant melanoma represents a significant new market opportunity for SCIB1.
• Combining SCIB1 and PD-1 blockade in animals enhances tumour destruction and extends survival times supporting the use of the combination for later stage disease
• Modi-1 on schedule to be ready for clinical trials in 2016
• Two new Moditope® protein targets identified

Dr Lindy Durrant, Joint CEO of Scancell, comments: “Modi-1 remains on track for start of first-in man clinical trials in 2016. The identification of new targets suggests that Moditope has significant potential as a platform for generating multiple cancer immunotherapeutics. In addition to the reported positive data from SCIB1, our Immunobody® platform continues to make good progress with a second vaccine target for lung cancer and the potential to take the platform into chronic infectious diseases.”

Dr Richard Goodfellow, Joint CEO of Scancell, adds: “Cancer immunotherapy is emerging as one of the most exciting areas of pharmaceutical research and development. Scancell now has two innovative technology platforms in this emerging field, both of which are currently being evaluated by a number of pharmaceutical companies under a CDA. The encouraging survival data on SCIB1, especially in patients with resected disease, offers an even greater market opportunity for SCIB1 and our pipeline of ImmunoBody® vaccines than was originally envisaged.”

Research and Development Update

SCIB1

We are pleased to announce further encouraging data from the on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma treated with SCIB1. To date, 32 patients have been treated with SCIB1, including seven at the higher 8mg dose. Six patients are currently on long-term treatment and have received between 4 and 6 further doses of SCIB1 every 3-6 months. Although recruitment of patients with advanced disease remains challenging it is expected that enrolment for the study will be completed during 2Q15. A new clinical centre has been established at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford to accelerate recruitment. SCIB1 continues to be a safe and well tolerated treatment with no withdrawals from the study due to adverse events.

Overall, only five of the 27 patients who have received at least three doses of 2-8mg SCIB1 since commencement of the study in 2010 have died. Median survival time in Part 1 patients who received at least three treatments with the 2mg/4mg doses of SCIB1 is now 34 months since study entry. This group of patients had 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival rates of 100%, 67% and 50%, respectively. For the Part 1 8mg cohort of patients, who were recruited later, the median survival time is currently 13 months since study entry. The median survival time since initiating treatment with SCIB1 in Part 2 patients with resected disease (and receiving 4mg doses of SCIB1) is currently 25 months.

Importantly, all 16 patients (two in Part 1 and 14 in Part 2) with fully-resected metastatic disease (nine Stage III and seven Stage IV) are still alive with a median survival time of 26 months since study entry (range 20-39 months) and only four have shown evidence of disease progression. The Stage III patients have a median survival time of 26 months since study entry and two (22%) have progressed. This compares extremely favourably with results from a peptide vaccine trial (Slingluff et al., 2011) where 52% of fully-resected Stage III patients had progressed and 33% had died two years after the start of treatment. The Stage IV patients treated with SCIB1 have a median survival time of 24 months since study entry and two of these patients (22%) have also progressed. In the Slingluff study, 50% of the fully-resected Stage IV patients had progressed and 19% had died after two years of treatment.

These results in patients with resected disease suggest that SCIB1 may have an important role to play as first line treatment in adjuvant melanoma. These are patients who no longer have measurable disease (following surgery) and are often generally quite well. However, they are at a high risk of recurrence and currently have very few, if any, effective treatment options. This represents a significant and as yet untapped market opportunity, including some 360,000 patients in the US alone, of whom around 45% have the MHC antigen HLA-A2 and are therefore suitable for SCIB1 treatment.

Animal data supporting the synergistic effect of combining SCIB1 with PD-1 blockade was announced in August. Any patients that progress following SCIB1 monotherapy, or indeed any patient with more advanced disease, may therefore benefit from the combination of SCIB1 with a checkpoint inhibitor.

ImmunoBody® platform

Scancell’s Immunobody® immunotherapy platform enhances the uptake and presentation of cancer antigens to harness the high avidity T cell responses that destroy tumours. The platform has been validated both in animals and in the clinic with SCIB1 but many opportunities also exist for the development of a pipeline of ImmunoBody® vaccines, both for cancer and chronic infectious diseases.

A second ImmunoBody® vaccine targeting the lung cancer antigen NY-ESO-1 (SCIB2) has been developed to the point at which the product is fully defined and ready for further preclinical development as a potential immunotherapy for any tumour that expresses the NY-ESO-1 antigen such as lung, oesophageal, gastric, ovarian and bladder cancers. During the past 12 months research on other ImmunoBody® vaccines for prostate, liver and colorectal cancer have also been further advanced.

In addition, Scancell has conducted proof of concept studies with ImmunoBody® constructs expressing antigens from influenza and Epstein Barr virus and is in early discussions with potential partners for the co-development of ImmunoBody® vaccines for the treatment or prophylaxis of infectious diseases.

Modi-1

Scancell’s Moditope® immunotherapy platform is based on exploiting the normal immune response to stressed cells, which is largely mediated by CD4+ T cells, and harnessing this mechanism to eradicate cancer cells. Scancell’s first target for Moditope® is vimentin – a major cytoskeletal protein found in mesenchymal cells. Many epithelial tumours switch from expression of cytokeratin to vimentin during metastasis in a process known as epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT); this change in phenotype enables the cell to become mobile and metastasize to new locations in the body.

Scancell has now selected two modified vimentin peptides in which the arginine residues have been substituted by citrulline to form the basis of its first Moditope® development candidate, Modi-1. The inclusion of additional modified peptides from other Moditope® target proteins into Modi-1 is currently under review. Animal studies have shown that the two vimentin peptides stimulate potent anti-tumour responses and leads to significant improvements in survival, suggesting that the Modi-1 product could have outstanding potential as a novel immunotherapy. Immune response studies with cells isolated from cancer patients have confirmed that T cell responses were stimulated by both modified vimentin peptides.

Optimisation studies have identified the adjuvant, dose and administration route for testing Modi-1 in the First in Man study. In animal studies, an aggressive tumour cell line confirmed that the two vimentin peptides eradicate tumour cells in a therapeutic, and therefore clinically relevant, setting. Remarkably, these responses were evident when tumours had reached a late stage of development.

Moditope vaccines have the potential to treat a wide variety of cancers. Scancell is currently further evaluating the initial indications for the first clinical trial with Modi-1 in terms of clinical need and market opportunity and based upon the possible addition of other peptide targets into the product.

Scancell is considering options for conducting the initial Modi-1 study in both Europe and the US and is designing the development and regulatory strategy to allow for either approach. The development programme will include manufacture plus toxicology and stability testing of the final formulated product. This data will form the basis of a clinical trial application, which is anticipated to be ready for submission in the first half of 2016.

Moditope® platform

Having exemplified the Moditope® platform with modified vimentin peptides, Scancell has been expanding the platform to other citrullinated tumour proteins that could be incorporated into Modi-1 or developed into a pipeline of other multiple-cancer immunotherapeutics. We are therefore pleased to announce today the identification of two further Moditope® protein targets, alpha-enolase and ING4.

Human alpha-enolase is a glycolytic enzyme that is overexpressed by lung, liver and other cancers. We have identified a citrullinated peptide within human alpha-enolase that induces a powerful and specific immune response and that elicits both increased survival and decreased tumour volume compared to control groups in animal models. Analysis of blood samples from donors has indicated that humans have a T cell repertoire that is able to recognise citrullinated alpha-enolase.

The tumour suppressor protein encoded by the ING4 gene plays a role in many cancer related processes. Two citrullinated peptides from human ING4 have been shown to induce specific T cell responses. Further studies are ongoing to evaluate the effect of these citrullinated peptides on tumour volume and survival. Both alpha-enolase and ING4 are believed to offer excellent prospects for future Moditope® immunotherapies.

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms.

Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1, when used as monotherapy, has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Pre-clinical data on a combination of SCIB1 and checkpoint inhibition (blockade of the PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway), has shown enhanced tumour destruction and significantly longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4+ T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings plc, (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’) the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announces that Dr Richard Goodfellow, Joint CEO of Scancell, is scheduled to present at the 14th Annual Biotech in Europe Forum for Global Partnering and Investment held in Basel, Switzerland on Tuesday 30 September 2014.

Dr Goodfellow will participate in the Oncology II – Next Generation Immunotherapies panel discussion at 2pm where he will be joined by leading cancer experts to discuss the increasing role of combination and targeted therapies.

In a corporate presentation at 4.30pm, Dr Goodfellow will provide an update on the progress of the SCIB1 clinical programme and the development of both the ImmunoBody® and Moditope® platforms.

The Annual Biotech in Europe Forum is recognised as the leading international stage for those interested in investing and partnering in the biotech and life science industry and is highly transactional. The Forum draws together an exciting cross-section of early-stage/pre-IPO, late-stage and public companies with leading investors, analysts, money managers and pharma licensing executives.

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic Tlymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings plc, (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’) the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announces that Professor Lindy Durrant, Joint CEO of Scancell, is scheduled to present on SCIB1, the Company’s clinical stage ImmunoBody® vaccine for the treatment of melanoma, and the ImmunoBody® technology platform at the following conferences:

Professor Lindy Durrant will also be on the Scientific Advisory Panel and conference co-chair at CAVAD 14.

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic Tlymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings plc, (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’) the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announces results for the year ended 30 April 2014.

Highlights during the period:

• Orphan drug designation granted by FDA for SCIB1 ImmunoBody® for the treatment of metastatic melanoma
• Positive data from Part 2 and an update from Part 1 of the on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial with SCIB1 ImmunoBody® in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma
  • Melanoma-specific immune response seen in all Part 2 patients
  • Continuing positive survival trend in Part 1 subjects
  • No serious adverse events reported
  • Completion of patient dosing with 8mg of SCIB1 in Part 1 of on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma
• Planning for preclinical and clinical development of Modi-1, lead vaccine from Moditope® platform underway
  • Provisionally positioned as a novel immunotherapeutic for the treatment of lung, triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian and endometrial cancers
  • Continue to expect first-in-man clinical studies to start in 2016
• Publication of patent application underpinning the Company’s Moditope® platform
• Scancell granted an extension of the Option to commercialise Ichor’s proprietary Trigrid™ electroporation delivery system with SCIB1
• Loss for the year of £2,222,954 (2013: loss: £1,901,944)
• Group cash balance at 30 April 2014 was £5,566,234 (30 April 2013: £1,491,320). This increase in cash is attributable to the placing and open offer earlier in the financial year which raised £6.1m, net.

Post period highlights:

• New data demonstrates that a combination of SCIB1 and checkpoint inhibition showed enhanced tumour destruction and significantly longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone
• Patent granted in the United States for Scancell’s DNA ImmunoBody® platform technology, following the grant of counterparts in Australia, China and Japan
• Further positive results from the on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma treated with the SCIB1 ImmunoBody®
  • Survival times are highly encouraging in both Part 1 and Part 2 patient groups
  • Melanoma-specific immune responses in 24 of 28 (86%) patients
  • Reduction in the number and size of multiple lung metastases in two patients
  • No serious adverse events reported

Richard Goodfellow, Joint CEO of Scancell, said: “The cumulative results emerging from our ongoing Phase 1/2 SCIB1 clinical trial, including the destruction of lung metastases in two patients and the apparent prolongation of survival, continues to add to the evidence that SCIB1 has the potential to extend lives without the burden of serious side effects. The rationale for combining SCIB1 and PD-1 blockade, confirmed in recent animal studies, is also compelling.

“Our ongoing Moditope® research continues to be productive as we continue to prepare Modi-1, our lead vaccine from this platform, for clinical trials which are on schedule to start in 2016.

“Cancer immunotherapy is emerging as one of most exciting areas of pharmaceutical research and development. Scancell now has two innovative technology platforms in this emerging field, both of which are expected to be of substantial interest to the increasing number of pharmaceutical companies establishing R&D programmes in the area. The Board remains dedicated to realising value for our shareholders as we continue to build upon the excellent data garnered to date.”

Read further information here

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Combining SCIB1 with PD-1 blockade enhances tumour destruction and extends survival times

Scancell Holdings plc (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, is pleased to announce new data demonstrating that animals treated with a combination of SCIB1, Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccine in development for the treatment of melanoma, and checkpoint inhibition (blockade of the PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway), showed enhanced tumour destruction and significantly longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone.

We have previously shown that administration of SCIB1 alone induced potent tumour-specific T cell responses associated with increased T cell infiltration into the tumour and enhanced proliferation of T cells within the tumour resulting in tumour rejection and long-term survival in 50% of animals. In our new study, PD-1 blockade, when used alone, resulted in tumour rejection and long-term survival in 55% of animals. However, the combination of PD-1 blockade with SCIB1 vaccination further enhanced T cell infiltration, resulting in tumour rejection and long-term survival in 85% of animals. These results highlight the potential benefits of combining SCIB1 with PD-1 blockade in the treatment of cancer.

Checkpoint inhibitors can enable the host immune system to recognise, attack and destroy cancer cells. However, checkpoint inhibitors cannot work on their own if the patient fails to mount an adequate immune response to the tumour. Taking the brake off immunosuppressive T cells with PD-1 blockade, whilst simultaneously pressing the accelerator with active immunotherapies such as SCIB1 is increasingly regarded as the logical next step towards overwhelming the disease and increasing efficacy. These data confirm for the first time that the combination of SCIB1 with PD-1 blockade enhances tumour destruction and prolongs survival in animal models.

Prof Lindy Durrant, Joint CEO of Scancell and Professor of Cancer Immunotherapy at Nottingham University, commented: “The rationale for combining SCIB1 and PD-1 blockade in the clinical setting is increasingly compelling. The high immune response rates demonstrated with our SCIB1 vaccine, teamed with the enhanced T cell infiltration using PD-1 blockade, prolongs survival and strongly supports the hypothesis that combining SCIB1 with checkpoint inhibitors will be even more effective in the treatment of cancer than when either treatment is used alone.”

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 has a marked effect on tumour load, produces a melanoma-specific immune response and highly encouraging survival trend without serious side effects.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 T cells that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings plc (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, is pleased to announce that a patent for its DNA ImmunoBody® technology has been granted in the United States.

The patent, number 8,742,088, has been granted by The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and covers Scancell’s DNA ImmunoBody® platform technology. This patent is key for the protection of the Company’s pipeline of ImmunoBody® vaccines and follows the grant of counterparts in Australia, China and Japan. 

Scancell’s protein ImmunoBody® patent has already been granted in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan and the United States. 

Dr. Richard Goodfellow, Joint Chief Executive of Scancell, commented:

“We are delighted to have further strengthened our IP portfolio around our proprietary ImmunoBody® platform technology. The United States is a key market for us and this, alongside the recent positive results from the Phase 1/2 trial for our SCIB1 ImmunoBody® in melanoma, demonstrates the strong progress Scancell is making. We look forward to continuing development of our ImmunoBody® platform and advancing our SCIB1 clinical trial, bringing patients one step closer to a new treatment for melanoma.” 

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 produced a melanoma-specific immune response and promising survival trend.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic Tlymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings plc (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, is pleased to announce further encouraging results from its on-going Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma treated with the SCIB1 ImmunoBody®. The updated data was presented in a poster at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago on Sunday 1 June 2014.

The Phase 1/2 trial is an open label, non-randomised study to determine the safety and tolerability of four dose levels of SCIB1 administered intramuscularly using an electroporation device. While the primary objective of the study is to access safety and tolerability, the secondary objectives are to evaluate cellular immune responses and to assess any tumour response.

Highlights

• SCIB1 is safe and well-tolerated, with no dose-limiting or grade 4/5 toxicities observed
• Five of 11 patients in Part 1 receiving 2, 4 or 8mg doses have shown evidence of a clinical response
• Part 1 patients receiving 2mg/4mg doses of SCIB1 had 1-year and 2-year survival rates of 100% and 67%, respectively
• All five Part 1 patients receiving 8mg doses of SCIB1 remain alive
• All 14 Part 2 patients with resected tumours are still alive 16-24 months after study entry (median 21 months); only three patients have disease progression
• 24 of 28 (86%) evaluable patients developed melanoma-specific immune responses
• Survival times are highly encouraging; only 2 of 25 patients receiving at least three doses of 2-8mg of SCIB1 have died since the study started in 2010
• Eight patients are currently on long term treatment with SCIB1

Prof Lindy Durrant, Joint CEO of Scancell and Professor of Cancer Immunotherapy at Nottingham University, commented:  “As positive and consistent data continues to emerge from this study, our confidence grows that SCIB1 will play an important role in the management of melanoma.  While recognizing the limitations of this open label trial, the results nonetheless detail a high rate of immune responders and a strong immune response with a drug that is well-tolerated and safe. The observation of objective clinical responses and apparent prolongation of survival further add to the evidence that SCIB1 has the potential to dramatically extend lives without the burden of serious side effects in this setting.”

Prof Poulam Patel, Chief Investigator for the trial and Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Nottingham, added: “The whole field of cancer immunotherapy is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Although checkpoint inhibitors are continuing to deliver clinical results, the long-term benefits are seemingly only apparent in around a third of patients.  Taking the brake off T cells with checkpoint inhibitors and pressing the accelerator with active immunotherapies such as SCIB1 may be an effective way of overwhelming the disease and increasing efficacy even further.”  

Part 1 higher dose 8mg study interim results (Stage IV disease only)

• All five patients with Stage IV disease remain alive with a median survival time of 11 months from study entry (range 8-12 months)
• One patient in this cohort has shown a pronounced reduction in lung metastases following SCIB1 treatment, meeting the RECIST* criteria for a partial response by Week 9 of treatment and has started continuation treatment. This is the second patient in the study to show an objective clinical response
• A further patient with breast and lung lesions at study entry remained stable for 6 months and is continuing treatment with SCIB1Four of the five patients produced an immune response to SCIB1
• Immune responses to the 8mg dose, measured by Elispot, were up to 10-fold higher than those seen in the lower dose 4mg group; high frequencies of melanoma-specific T cells exceeding 2% of total blood lymphocytes were observed

Part 1 lower dose 2mg/4mg study update (Stage III/IV disease)

• The four patients (of six) who were alive at the time of the December 2012 Part 1 report remain alive
• One patient had multiple tumour lesions which disappeared or decreased in size except for one lesion which was resected; the patient, who is still alive, has subsequently developed another lesion which was also resected
• Two further patients have remained disease-free for 18 and 35 months respectively, having required regular treatment and resection of metastases prior to SCIB1 treatment
• Median survival time in Part 1 patients who received at least three treatments with the 2mg/4mg doses of SCIB1 is now 30 months from study entry and 49 months since diagnosis of metastatic disease
• Five of six patients receiving 2mg/4mg doses of SCIB1 produced an immune response

Part 2 study update (Stage III/IV patients with resected tumours)

• All 14 study patients produced an immune response to SCIB1 treatment
• All patients are still alive after being on the study for between 16 and 24 months
• Only three patients have any evidence of disease progression after 4, 14 and 18 months on the study
• Median survival time of all Part 2 patients since initiating treatment is currently 21 months and 26 months since diagnosis of metastatic disease

Overall survival

Based on clinical staging according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (Balch et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology 2009: 27(36), 6199-206), the 12 patients receiving SCIB1 therapy who had tumour present at study entry fall into the following categories: patients with advanced, visceral stage M1c disease (n=4); patients with disease restricted to M1a (n=1) or M1b (n=6) metastases and one patient with no distant metastases (M0). The other 16 patients all had fully-resected metastatic disease (Stage III or IV prior to surgery).

• Two M1c patients treated with 0.4mg of SCIB1 had rapidly progressing disease and died after 7 months on study - as expected for patients with visceral metastatic disease. The two other M1c patients received at least 4mg doses of SCIB1; one patient died after 13 months and the other is still alive 11 months after study entry
• The single M1a patient received 2mg/4mg doses and is still alive 38 months after study entry. One M1b patient treated with 0.4 mg of SCIB1 died 16 months after study entry. Of the other five M1b patients, one received 4 mg doses and four received 8 mg doses: they all remain alive. The current median survival time for the M1b patients is 12 months from study entry (range 8-28 months)
• Sixteen patients with fully-resected metastatic disease received either 2mg or 4mg doses of SCIB1 and all remain alive with a current median survival of 22 months (range 16-35) from trial entry. The nine Stage III patients have survived for a median of 26 months since their last resection prior to study entry and two patients have experienced a recurrence (22%). The seven Stage IV patients have survived for a median time of 24 months since their last resection prior to study entry, with two patients showing evidence of disease progression 18 and 20 months post-surgery; this compares extremely favourably with a SouthWest Oncology Group prospective study of resection in Stage IV melanoma patients in which the median overall survival (i.e., when 50% of the patients had died) was 21 months and the median recurrence-free survival was 5 months from the time of surgery (Sosman et al., Cancer 2011: 117(20), 4740-46)

Safety

• SCIB1 therapy was well tolerated in all patient groups with no reports of serious drug-related side effects

In conclusion, while this is a Phase 1/2 clinical study and patient numbers are relatively small, there is consistent evidence emerging from this trial that Scancell’s SCIB1 ImmunoBody® therapy can produce a reduction in tumour load as well as inducing a powerful immune response in late-stage melanoma patients. When taken together with the apparent delay in disease progression and increasingly extended survival data, these results are highly encouraging and clearly warrant the continued development of SCIB1 ImmunoBody® as a potentially powerful new addition for the treatment of this disease.

* RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors) is a set of published rules that define when cancer patients improve ("respond"), stay the same ("stable") or worsen ("progression") during treatments.

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 produced a melanoma-specific immune response and promising survival trend.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic Tlymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Scancell Holdings Plc, (AIM:SCLP), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, today announces that the latest data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SCIB1 ImmunoBody® (‘SCIB1’) in patients with Stage III/IV melanoma will be presented in a poster at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, May 30-June 3, 2014.

SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is in Phase 1/2 clinical trials. The trial is an open label, non-randomised study to determine the safety and tolerability of four dose levels of SCIB1 administered intramuscularly using an electroporation device (TDS-IM, manufactured by Ichor Medical Systems, USA). The study will also assess immune effects and anti-tumour activity in patients with melanoma.

An earlier submitted abstract of the poster can be accessed through the ASCO website at: http://abstracts2.asco.org/.

The title, timing and location of the poster presentation is as follows:

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms. Scancell’s first ImmunoBody®, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Data from the trial demonstrate that SCIB1 produced a melanoma-specific immune response and promising survival trend.

Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic Tlymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

Scancell has also identified and patented a series of modified epitopes that stimulate the production of killer CD4 that destroy tumours without toxicity. The Directors believe that the Moditope® platform could play a major role in the development of safe and effective cancer immunotherapies in the future.