Pusan National University Announces Science Translational Medicine Publication Highlighting Landmark Demonstration of Functional Anti-Cancer Antibody Induction in Patients Following JX-594 Treatment

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May 23, 2013, 07:00 ET

BUSAN, South Korea, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, in collaboration with SillaJen, Inc., a private biotherapeutics and contract research company focused on research and development of targeted biological products for cancer, announced today a publication reporting the induction of functional anti-cancer antibodies in patients treated with the oncolytic and immunotherapeutic vaccinia JX-594 (pexastimogene devacirepvec; Jennerex Inc.).

This research was published in the May 15^th, 2013 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine. The co-senior and co-corresponding authors were Dr. Tae-Ho Hwang (Director of the Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital Clinical Research Center; SillaJen Chief Scientific Officer) and Dr. David Kirn (Jennerex founder and Advisor to SillaJen). The authors reported data from patients treated with JX-594 on Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, as well as from rabbit tumor model studies. The authors demonstrated functional anti-cancer immunity induction, specifically including antibody-mediated complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) in patients' serum targeting cancer cells. Phase 1 data showed a correlation between patients' survival duration and a measure of CDC intensity. No autoimmune toxicities were reported in treated patients, including long-term survivors.

"This research was led by the laboratory group at SillaJen and Pusan National University, working closely with scientists at Jennerex. These findings, published in the premier research journal Science Translational Medicine, represent a landmark for the field of oncolytic immunotherapies for cancer," said Dr. Tae-Ho Hwang. "We were able to demonstrate for the first time that functional immune responses were induced against cancer cells following JX-594 treatment. This is an important clinical proof-of-concept for JX-594, as well as the oncolytic and immunotherapeutic approach more generally. In addition, this may represent a new paradigm for therapeutic antibody generation and identification. We believe these cutting edge experimental results demonstrate the strong translational and clinical research capabilities of SillaJen and PNU in the cancer biologics field. We will continue to leverage these capabilities as a high quality contract research organization, and for our own product pipeline in the future."

JX-594 clinical research and development is conducted in collaboration with Jennerex Inc., Green Cross Corp, Transgene, and Lee's Pharmaceuticals.

About Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital

The Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital (PNUYH) Clinical Research Center, in collaboration with SillaJen, Inc, specializes in the research and development of early-phase gene and cell therapeutics. This development unit is composed of a highly interactive group of investigators from multiple clinical and basic science departments, providing a comprehensive and integrated framework for the development and conduct of trials in a variety of fields, with an emphasis on innovative treatment approaches. The PNUYH CRC is supported by Pusan National University and the Korean government.

About SillaJen, Inc.

SillaJen, Inc. is a contract R&D company specializing in the translational and clinical development of complex biologics. The SillaJen translational research, assay, and clinical research teams offer an array of services in a quality systems environment to bring investigational products from bench to bedside. Located on the campus of Pusan National University, the company is comprised of dedicated in-house teams that collaborate closely with a network of local and USA-based world-class scientists and physicians. Born from a desire to revolutionize therapeutic approaches for patients with serious unmet medical needs and honed through years of pioneering experience guiding oncolytic vaccinia through clinical trials in Korea, the SillaJen operations are uniquely poised to assist in the development of similar cutting-edge gene and viral therapies. Additional information about SillaJen can be found at www.sillajen.com.

Media Contact:
Erica Sommermann
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SOURCE Pusan National University