Pepscan's personalized neoantigen peptide pools in phase I trial "PneoVCA with Pembro in Advanced Solid Tumors"

LELYSTAD, the Netherlands, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepscan, the all-in-one peptide service provider, is excited to announce that it will supply personalized peptide pools for six patients in a phase I trial led by Mayo Clinic principal investigator Yanyan Lou, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with Keith L. Knutson, Ph.D. The trial tests the safety and tolerability of an experimental personalized peptide vaccine when given in combination with pembrolizumab in treating patients with a wide range of advanced solid tumors and tumors that have spread to other places in the body (metastases). The vaccine is designed to target certain proteins (neoantigens) on individuals' tumor cells. Combination immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer and thereby interfere with the ability of the tumor cells to grow and spread.

"Mayo Clinic is recognized as one of the best hospital groups in the US and we are excited to provide the peptide pools for their investigational phase I study. Supplying top researchers and clinicians worldwide to turn their ideas into better treatment outcomes for patients is what we aim for at Pepscan." says Hans de Backer, CEO of Pepscan.

The primary objective of the study "Personalized Neoantigen Peptide-Based Vaccine in Combination With Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Advanced Solid Tumors" is to evaluate the safety, side effects, optimal dosages and risks/benefits of a personalized neoantigen peptide vaccine in combination with pembrolizumab in advanced solid cancers. Pepscan will manufacture up to 20 unique peptides and combine them into peptide pools, making up the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of the vaccine. All within only 5 weeks to shipment (under quarantine). Besides the manufacturing, Pepscan also supported Mayo Clinic with the CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and control) report, which was submitted as part of Mayo's Investigational New Drug (IND) Application and has been approved by the FDA. Manufacturing personalized peptides for neoantigen vaccines requires a very specific set of process development and manufacturing skills, facilities and analytical methods. With 25 years of experience in mastering peptides and flexible manufacturing capabilities, Pepscan reliably delivers individual or pooled peptide sets that fit its customers' timelines.

Contact information:
Evert van Dijk, CCO
+31 320 225 300 
[email protected]

About Pepscan
Pepscan is an all-in-one partner in peptides, building on 25 years of experience in advancing and applying peptide expertise to facilitate customers in the development and production of peptides. At its end-to-end facility in Lelystad, the Netherlands, Pepscan offers a range of patented technologies, phage display capabilities, a lead-optimization array platform, and production facilities for R&D- to GMP-grade peptides, including neoantigen libraries and vaccines. Among its patents is the CLIPS™ technology, which locks peptides into active conformations. With its epitope mapping service platform, Pepscan also supports biotech companies in developing their antibody pipelines. The underlying protein mimicry platform delivers binding insights, even in cases where other technologies fall short.

Preparing neoantigen peptides demands the highest level of care and reliability in terms of tailoring to the patient's specifications and timely delivery for their care. Owing to our thorough expertise in peptide chemistry and our role as critical partner in multiple clinical trial projects, Pepscan knows what it takes to be a world-class partner in this field.

SOURCE Pepscan