EUROSTARS grant for vaccine against breast cancer

A consortium of Danish and Dutch research organisations led by AdaptVac ApS has been awarded a EUROSTARS grant for the further development of the AV001 vaccine against breast cancer. The combination of state-of-the art technologies revealed a highly immunogenic vaccine against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expressed by cancer cells.

With the support of EUROSTARS, we will be able to prove safety and immunogenicity in different in vivo models, finalize the production process and prepare for further clinical development. The envisaged vaccine could be an effective tool in the treatment of patients and in the delay of recurrence. The consortium consists of AdaptVac, ExpreSion Biotechnologies, and University of Copenhagen (Denmark), and LiteVax BV and the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (the Netherlands).

Breast cancer affects more than 1.3 million worldwide annually, resulting in more than 450,000 deaths. Today, the most common treatment is based on monoclonal antibodies against HER2. Such passive immunization has some clear-cut limitations and therefore we developed a vaccine that activates patient’s own immune system to destroy HER+ cancer cells. By combining technologies from AdaptVac,  xpreSion Biotechnologies and LiteVax BV, the prototype vaccine generated strong immune responses in different animal models. In this project, we will further prove safety and immunogenicity, finalize the production processes and prepare for clinical development.

“We are particularly pleased by the strength of the consortium, bringing together expertise in vaccines, adjuvants, as well as canine and non-human primate vaccination to predict the performance in patients.

Source: Litevax