(MENAFNEditorial) Immunicum AB (publ) Presents Further Preclinical Ilixadencel Mode of Action Data at Annual SITC Meeting Press Release 07 November 2017
Immunicum AB (publ) Presents Further Preclinical Ilixadencel Mode of Action Data at Annual SITC Meeting Immunicum AB (publ; First North Premier: IMMU.ST) a biopharmaceutical company advancing a novel, immune-priming cancer treatment against a variety of solid tumors, today announced the presentation of results from a preclinical study designed to provide further data on lead drug candidate ilixadencel's mode of action. The preclinical results show how ilixadencel induces complementary immunological processes that are needed in order to prime the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. The results will be presented in a poster at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 32nd Annual Meeting, held November 8-12, 2017 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Immunicum in collaboration with Professor Magnus Essand's research group at Uppsala University conducted a series of cell culture experiments designed to mimic the immunological processes that arise when ilixadencel is injected intratumorally and subsequently interact with a cancer patient's immune system.
The poster titled "In vitro mode of action of ilixadencel - a cell-based allogeneic immune primer for intratumoral administration" will be presented on November 11 at 12.30 pm EST by Dr. Karlsson-Parra.
As demonstrated by the data, the following immunological processes were induced:
Ilixadencel, when cultured on its own, produced substantial amounts of cell-signaling molecules (chemokines and cytokines) that are crucial for attracting and activating key immune cells, specifically the patient's dendritic cells, natural killer (NK) cells and T cells. Ilixadencel, when co-cultured with NK cells, induced the production of high levels of IFN-gamma which is an important stimulatory factor required for activation of tumor-specific killer T cells. Ilixadencel was also shown to significantly increase the ability of the NK cells to kill tumor cells. The specific inflammatory factors produced in cocultures of ilixadencel and immune cells were further shown to induce phenotypic and functional maturation of dendritic cells, which is important for the immune system to recognise the tumor cells. By boosting these complementary mechanisms, ilixadencel increases the capacity of the immune system to more efficiently recognize and destroy tumor cells.
"We are excited about these data which broaden our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of how ilixadencel works and are consistent with what we have previously seen," said Alex Karlsson-Parra, Chief Scientific Officer of Immunicum. "The ability of ilixadencel to activate NK cells into highly efficient tumor cell killers is of particular interest since NK cell-mediated tumor cell death is known to facilitate the subsequent priming of tumor-specific T cells. We appreciate the opportunity to share these findings with the scientific and medical community attending the SITC."
The conference abstracts were published today on the SITC website. The full poster will be available following the presentation on Immunicum's website through this link:
Immunicum's lead program ilixadencel is currently in clinical development in an ongoing Phase 2 trial in renal cell carcinoma (MERECA) as well as a Phase 1/2 study in gastrointestinal stromal tumors and has successfully completed Phase 1/2 studies in renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma with a favourable safety profile and evidence of tumor-specific immune activation in the majority of patients.
About ilixadencel Ilixadencel cell therapy product (formerly known as INTUVAX®) is an off-the-shelf cancer immune primer, developed for the treatment of solid tumors. Its active ingredient is activated allogeneic dendritic cells, derived from healthy blood donors. Intratumoral injection of these cells is expected to lead to an inflammatory response which in turn leads to tumor-specific activation of the patient's cytotoxic T-lymphocytes.
For more information, please contact: Carlos de Sousa, CEO, ImmunicumTelephone: +46 (0) 31 41 50 52E-mail:
Investor Relations Sweden Helena StångbergHallvarsson & HalvarssonTelephone: + 46 709 71 12 53E-mail:
Investor and Media Relations EU/US MacDougall Biomedical CommunicationsGretchen Schweitzer or Stephanie MayTelephone: +49 89 2424 3494 or +49 175 5711562E-mail:Â
The Company's Certified Adviser is Redeye ABTelephone: +46 (0)8 545 013 30
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About Immunicum AB (publ) Immunicum is establishing a unique immuno-oncology approach through the development of allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell-based therapies. Our goal is to improve survival outcomes and quality of life by priming the patient's own immune system to fight cancer. The company's lead product ilixadencel, consisting of pro-inflammatory allogeneic dendritic cells, has the potential to become a backbone component of modern cancer combination treatments in a variety of solid tumor indications. Founded and based in Sweden, Immunicum is publicly traded on the Nasdaq First North Premier. Â Â
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