BERKELEY, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (“BriaCell”) (TSX-V:BCT) (OTCQB:BCTXF), an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company with a proprietary targeted immunotherapy technology, will present a poster on the mechanism of action of Bria-IMT™ at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) being held on April 14-18, 2018 at McCormick Place North/South, Chicago, Illinois.
Title, location, and time of the poster presentation are as follows:
Title: Targeted immunotherapy with SV-BR-1-GM: Mechanism of action and companion diagnostic development
Session Date and Time: Wednesday Apr 18, 2018 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: McCormick Place South, Exhibit Hall A, Poster Section 29
Session Category: Clinical Research
Session Title: Vaccines 2
Poster Board Number: 3
Abstract Control Number: 7890
Copies of the abstract will become available and can be viewed online through the AACR website at www.aacr.org no earlier than 4:30 p.m. U.S. ET on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Following the presentation, a copy of the poster with be posted on http://briacell.com/investor-relations/presentations/.
BriaCell scientists have obtained further data on the mechanism of action of Bria-IMT™ in stimulating potent anti-cancer immune responses which appear to be unique to Bria-IMT™ compared to other similar therapies. These findings also relate to the biomarker efforts for developing BriaDX™.
“These results add to our growing body of evidence for the clinical utility of our Bria-IMT™ technology platform and will be used as the base for the topline design of the first Off-the-Shelf Personalized Immunotherapy (Bria-OTS™) for cancer patients,” stated Dr. Williams, BriaCell’s President & CEO. “Using Bria-IMT™ and Bria-OTS™ in combination with a companion diagnostic, BriaDX™, BriaCell is pioneering personalized immunotherapy without the need for personalized manufacturing. This is a first in the cancer immunotherapy field. We look forward to further developing this novel therapeutic to bring hope to those who suffer from advanced breast cancer with far too few effective treatment options.”
“These data further support our hypothesis that lead drug candidates arising from our platform technology can have potent immune stimulating activities,” stated Dr. Markus Lacher, BriaCell’s Head of R&D. “The concordance between HLA matching and initial efficacy in breast cancer patients is in agreement with our proposed mechanism of action. Our findings also include additional biomarker information which may advance further development of BriaDX™.”
About BriaCell
BriaCell is an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company developing a targeted and safe approach to the management of cancer. Immunotherapy has come to the forefront in the fight against cancer, harnessing the body’s own immune system in recognizing and selectively destroying cancer cells while sparing normal ones. Immunotherapy, in addition to generally being more targeted and less toxic than commonly used types of chemotherapy, is also thought to be a potent approach with the potential to prevent cancer recurrence.
Bria-IMT™ (SV-BR-1-GM), the Company’s lead product candidate, is derived from a specific breast cancer cell line. It is genetically engineered to release granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a substance that activates the immune system. We believe that Bria-IMT™ helps the body to recognize and kill tumor cells by activating T cells that attack the tumor and B cells that produce anti-tumor antibodies.
The results of two previous proof-of-concept clinical trials (one with the precursor cell line not genetically engineered to produce GM-CSF and one with Bria-IMT™) produced encouraging results in patients with advanced breast cancer. Most notably, one patient with metastatic breast cancer responded to Bria-IMT™ with substantial reduction in tumor burden including breast, lung, soft tissue and brain metastases. The company is currently conducting a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for Bria-IMT™ in patients with advanced breast cancer. This trial is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03066947. The trial is being conducted along with the co-development of BriaDX™, the Company’s companion diagnostic test. The interim data for the first 10 patients is expected by the first quarter of 2018. Additionally, the FDA recently approved the roll-over combination study of Bria-IMT™ with pembrolizumab [Keytruda®; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.] or ipilimumab [Yervoy®; manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company] for patients previously treated with Bria-IMT™ in the Company’s ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial in advanced breast cancer. The roll-over trial is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03328026.
BriaCell is also developing Bria-OTS™, an off-the-shelf personalized Immunotherapy. Bria-OTS™ consists of 14 individually pre-manufactured genetic alleles. BriaCell’s BriaDX™ companion diagnostic reveals a patient’s specific HLA-types and the 2 best matching alleles are administered to the patient. BriaCell’s 14 alleles (8 Class I and 6 Class II) cover approximately 90% of the Breast Cancer population while eliminating the complex manufacturing logistics required for other personalized immunotherapies. Bria-OTS™ is a personalized therapy without the need for personalized manufacturing.
Yet another item in the BriaCell pipeline is a novel, selective protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) inhibitor. PKCδ inhibitors have shown activity in a number of pre-clinical models of RAS genes’ transformed cancers including breast, pancreatic, non-small cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine tumors (such as carcinoid tumors).
For additional information on BriaCell, please visit our website: http://briacell.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation which involves known and unknown risks relevant to the Company in particular and to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in general, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. These risks are more fully described in the Company’s public filings available at www.sedar.com.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact Information: For further information, please contact:
BriaCell Therapeutics Corp.:
Farrah Dean
Manager, Corporate Development
Email: farrah@BriaCell.com
Phone: 1-888-485-6340
