Avidea Technologies and Collaborators Publish Results in Nature Immunology Showing SNAP Cancer Vaccine Administered IV Generates Stem-Like (TCF1+) Neoantigen-Specific CD8+ T cells Resulting in Improved Efficacy

BALTIMORE, Nov. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Avidea Technologies, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing immunotherapies through innovations in polymer-drug conjugate technologies, announced today the publication of preclinical studies in Nature Immunology showing how route of vaccine administration imprints on the quality of anticancer T cell responses that affect treatment efficacy. The results showed that SNAP Cancer Vaccine (SNAP CV) induced a higher proportion of stem-like (TCF1⁺) tumor antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cell responses associated with improved tumor clearance when administered intravenously (IV) as compared with more conventional routes of vaccination (for example, subcutaneous). Ahmed and colleagues (Im SJ, et al. Nature, 2016) reported that TCF1⁺ CD8 T cells provide a proliferative burst in response to checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) treatment. Thus, SNAP CV delivered IV provides a means to generating a key CD8 T cell population that works synergistically with CPIs.

Avidea's SNAP CV platform was developed for reliable, on-demand manufacturing of vaccines targeting patient-specific neoantigens by enabling precise, programmable loading of antigens and immunostimulants in self-assembling nanoparticles which target innate immune cells that prime anticancer T cell immunity. SNAP CV was previously shown to improve personalized cancer vaccine manufacturing and significantly increase neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses in mice and primates when delivered subcutaneously (See Lynn GM, et al. Nature Biotechnology, 2020).

"Recent discoveries in cancer immunology have demonstrated the importance of TCF1⁺ CD8 T cells, which have stem-like properties and show enhanced proliferation in response to checkpoint inhibitors," said Dr. Andrew Ishizuka, Avidea's Chief Scientific Officer. "Our findings reported in Nature Immunology show how the design and route of administration of the SNAP Cancer Vaccine allows for control over the proportion of TCF1⁺ CD8 T cells generated in vivo."

"Many vaccines can only be given by the intramuscular or subcutaneous route. By design, SNAP CV can be administered by any route, including IV, which provides maximal flexibility to control the differentiation of anti-tumor T cells as we pursue SNAP CV monotherapy and combination immunotherapies to combat cancer," said Dr. Geoffrey Lynn, Avidea's Chief Executive Officer. "These results provide further insight as to how SNAP CV can be best utilized to improve outcomes for cancer patients and are fueling our team's efforts to advance this promising therapy to clinic."

Phase 1 clinical trials of SNAP CV are planned for 2021.

About Avidea Technologies:  Avidea Technologies is a biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies that aim to provide unprecedented control over the immune system and allow more patients to live longer, healthier lives. Avidea has developed two innovative nanoparticle platforms, SNAP and Star, each with myriad applications in biomedicine. For more information about Avidea Technologies and its programs, visit www.avideatechnologies.com.

Article:  Baharom, Faezzah, et al. Intravenous nanoparticle vaccination generates stem-like TCF1+ neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Nature Immunology, 2020.

Contact:  Andrew Ishizuka, PhD, Avidea's CSO, is available to comment.
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SOURCE Avidea Technologies

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