OncoSec Reports Positive Results from Phase II Trial of ImmunoPulse IL-12 in MCC

OncoSec Medical Incorporated

today announced results from a Phase II trial demonstrating that its investigational therapy, ImmunoPulse™ IL-12, promotes tumor-specific, systemic anti-tumor immune responses in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Shailender Bhatia, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Principal Investigator of the trial, presented the findings today in an oral presentation at the 2015 European Cancer Congress in Vienna, Austria. "The successful completion of the first prospective trial of immunotherapy in MCC marks an important milestone," said Dr. Bhatia. "Importantly, our findings support the hypothesis that intratumoral IL-12 DNA with electroporation promotes tumor immunogenicity. The results confirm the potential of this approach to make a clinically meaningful impact on patient outcomes for this virus-associated cancer." In this Phase II study, 79% of patients (11/14) showed an increase in IL-12 protein levels in tumor biopsy samples obtained approximately 22 days after treatment compared to baseline, indicating that ImmunoPulse™ IL-12 leads to successful DNA transfection and sustained protein expression within the tumor microenvironment. ImmunoPulse™ IL-12 was well-tolerated, with no treatment-related adverse events above