ImmunoCellular Therapeutics’ Antibody Shows Promise In Detecting Pancreatic And Lung Cancer In Serum Test

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers, announced today results from its pilot study evaluating the cancer detection abilities of one of its lead monoclonal antibody product candidates, ICT-109. Data from this study demonstrated that ICT-109 had a statistically significant ability to discriminate between cancerous and non-cancerous samples, suggesting the potential to detect pancreatic and lung cancer in plasma and serum study sets. The study used reverse phase micro array technology to determine serum and plasma expression levels of glycosylated CEA, and was performed in collaboration with Dr. Emanuel Petricoin at George Mason University. Dr. Petricoin is a renowned microbiologist who was a senior investigator with the US FDA’s Office of Cell Tissue and Gene Therapies in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research earlier in his career. He and his colleague, Lance Liotta, invented the Reverse Phase Protein Microarray technology.

Researchers at George Mason University investigated the ability of ICT-109 to detect pancreatic and lung cancer by binding specifically to glycosylated epitopes of CEA-CAM6 and CEA-CAM5, two common markers that are overly expressed in a majority of cancers. Glycosylated CEA is highly expressed in patients with pancreatic and lung cancers, and can be used to detect these cancers using a direct blood test. Read more

Pancreatic And Colorectal Cancer Novel Antibody Developed From A Vaccine To Begin Phase I Trial

Neogenix Oncology, Inc. (Neogenix) announced that NPC-1C, the company’s first IND (Investigational New Drug Application) was granted permission by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the company to begin a Phase I trial.

NPC-1C is derived from a colorectal cancer vaccine that had previously demonstrated safety and clinical activity in prior human studies. NPC-1C is a novel, monoclonal antibody intended for the treatment of advanced pancreatic and colorectal cancer.

This first human trial will evaluate the safety of NPC-1C in patients with late stage pancreatic or colorectal cancer. Anti-tumor activity has been demonstrated in both in-vitro ADCC assays and in multiple animal studies.

“The approval of our first IND for the initiation of our Phase I trial represents an important milestone toward the development of what could prove to be a breakthrough in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics,” said Neogenix President and Chief Medical Officer, Philip M. Arlen, MD. “This Phase I trial will evaluate NPC-1C in 12-24 patients with pancreatic or colorectal cancer and should provide important additional data regarding the safety and activity of our antibody. We expect the trial to complete enrollment in approximately 6-8 months.”
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Discovery Offers Potential New Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Tiny particles that can carry drugs and target cancer cells may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer. New research to be presented in November at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles reveals that tumor-penetrating microparticles (TPM) have been specifically designed to break through hard-to-infiltrate barriers and deliver drugs more effectively and efficiently than the standard form of chemotherapy such as those injected through a vein.

According to Jessie L.S. Au, Pharm.D., Ph.D., an AAPS fellow and a distinguished university professor at Ohio State University who initiated the study, TPM are designed to treat cancer in the peritoneal cavity. The peritoneal cavity contains organs, including the pancreas, that are home to more than 250,000 new cases of cancer a year in the United States alone http://www.cancer.org). “Pancreatic cancer cells are surrounded by specialized cells that protect them from chemotherapy,” explains Dr. Au. “Our goal is to use TPM to pass this barrier and successfully deliver drugs to the tumor cells, which is currently the biggest hurdle a physician faces in pancreatic cancer treatment.”

According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer in the U.S., with more than 80 percent of the 38,000 patients stricken with the disease dying within one year of diagnosis. Read more