Scancell and ImmuneRegen to Evaluate Combination of Their Vaccine Technologies

Scancell entered a collaboration with ImmuneRegen BioSciences to investigate the synergy between ImmuneRegen’s Homspera® and Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccine technologies. Scancell says that its platform specifically targets dendritic cells, which enhances the immune response.

Scancell’s first vaccine using its ImmunoBody platform is SCIB1, a DNA vaccine being developed for the treatment of melanoma. An immune response against TRP-2 (tyrosinase-related protein 2) is expected to lead to the inhibition and regression of both primary and metastatic melanoma tumor growth. The firm reports that it will begin Phase I trials during the second quarter of this year.

Homspera was originally identified as providing protection from radiation exposure. The compound is also now being evaluated for use as a stimulator of human adult stem cells and as an immune-enhancing agent.

“As ImmuneRegen and Scancell move toward the clinic independently, we feel this is the ideal time to collaborate on this project, with the goal of evaluating the combination of Scancell’s dendritic cell targeting technology as applied to these melanoma antigens and ImmuneRegen’s Homspera, which has shown dendritic cell immunostimulatory activity via dendritic cell responses to TRP-2 directed against melanoma tumors,” notes Hal Siegel, Ph.D., ImmuneRegen’s CSO. “Ideally, we could be creating a combined product that represents the next generation of cancer vaccine technology.”

Homspera is at the preclinical research stage. ImmuneRegen is also developing two Homspera derivatives called Radilex® and Viprovex®. The firm has received Preinvestigational New Drug numbers from FDA for Radilex in the treatment of acute radiation syndrome and for Viprovex in the treatment of avian influenza.