Scancell Holdings Plc, the parent company of Scancell Limited (‘Scancell’), the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines based on its patented ImmunoBody® platform, is pleased to announce it has signed a research agreement with ImmunoVaccine Technologies Inc. (‘IVT’), a Canadian vaccine development company to explore the potential of using IVT’s DepoVax™ delivery system for Scancell’s novel ImmunoBody® DNA vaccines.
DNA-based vaccines such as those being developed by Scancell have gained popularity due to promising results reported in the clinic, their relative ease of manufacture and potential for enhanced stability. There is currently a need for simple alternative methods of delivering DNA vaccines.
DepoVax™ is a vaccine-enhancement and delivery platform comprised of liposomes, adjuvants and oil. DepoVax™ enhances the immunogenicity of antigens in general, and can be used to dramatically enhance the delivery of polynucleotide-based antigens and SiRNA to lymph nodes. IVT has proven its scale-up capabilities at a contract manufacturing plant, making DepoVax™ amenable to commercialisation.
Scancell is developing novel therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases based on its groundbreaking ImmunoBody® technology platform. Scancell’s first cancer vaccine SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and will enter clinical trials using electroporation technology in early 2010.
David Evans, chairman of Scancell, commented:
"IVT’s DepoVax™ represents a potentially attractive future delivery system for our ImmunoBody® DNA vaccines, especially those for certain infectious diseases where alternative delivery methods such as electroporation may be less suitable."
Dr. Marc Mansour, vice president of R&D at IVT, remarked:
“Scancell is developing an exciting DNA vaccine technology and we are delighted to enter into this collaboration. Our DepoVax™ technology has the potential to better deliver DNA vaccines to draining lymph nodes to produce high levels of immune response using conventional immunization techniques.”
The Directors of the issuer accept responsibility for this announcement.
For Further Information:
Professor Lindy Durrant Scancell Holdings Plc + 44 207 245 1100
Adam Reynolds/Vikki Krause Hansard Group + 44 7515 922906
Ross Andrews Zeus Capital + 44 (0)161 831 1512