IRX Therapeutics and Japan's NCRC collaborate to evaluate peptide-based cancer vaccines

IRX Therapeutics, a developer of novel immunomodulators to treat cancer and viral diseases, today announced that it has established a strategic collaboration with Japan's National Cancer Research Center (NCRC) to evaluate next-generation peptide-based cancer vaccines. Clinical research will be conducted at NCRC. IRX Therapeutics will provide its proprietary IRX-2 immunomodulatory regimen, clinical trial design and technical support. This is the first collaboration of its kind between the NCRC and a U.S.-based biotechnology firm.

“There is increasing data demonstrating that therapeutic cancer vaccines can activate the immune system in cancer patients and mediate useful clinical activity.”

NCRC, one of Japan's preeminent cancer treatment and research centers, performed a rigorous, global search and evaluation of immunomodulators with high potential to enhance immune responses to a Wilms' tumor gene (WT1) peptide-based cancer vaccine. WT1 is expressed at high levels in hematologic malignancies and also in various types of solid tumors. IRX Therapeutics' IRX-2, a cell-derived biologic that has been shown experimentally to be a broad spectrum and potent activator of immune cells, was selected for use in clinical trials to be conducted by NCRC.

The NCRC will run proof-of-concept clinical trial programs in at least two cancer indications. The programs will include a Phase 1 proof of concept trial and Phase 2 confirmation trials. All programs will utilize state-of-the-art cancer vaccine trial designs and rigorous immune monitoring for biomarker data collection.

"This collaboration is one of the most significant milestones achieved in the development of IRX-2, and we look forward to working with the NCRC on these important clinical programs," said John W. Hadden II, President and CEO of IRX Therapeutics. "There is increasing data demonstrating that therapeutic cancer vaccines can activate the immune system in cancer patients and mediate useful clinical activity."

"Early trials have already demonstrated that specific immune responses can be optimized by rationally designed combination therapies and more studies will help realize the full potential of these types of treatment for cancer patients," said Neil L. Berinstein, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer of IRX Therapeutics. "Combining immunomodulators with cancer vaccines clearly has the potential to provide significant benefits to cancer patients and these and other studies will help determine that potential."