Galena Biopharma, Inc.
GALE, a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing
innovative, targeted oncology therapeutics that address major medical needs
across the full spectrum of cancer care, today announced that data from the
Company's GALE-301 and GALE-302 clinical programs were presented at the
Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting
in National Harbor, Maryland. The data presented was on the primary vaccine
series (PVS) from a randomized Phase 1b trial with GALE-301 (E39) and
GALE-302 (E39' -- variant of E39; previously named J65) that are folate
binding protein-derived (FBP) peptides.
Poster #166 (abstract #156) entitled, "Preliminary report of a clinical
trial supporting the sequential use of an attenuated E39 peptide (E39') to
optimize the immunologic response to the FBP (E39+GM-CSF) vaccine," details
the results of a randomized trial comparing three PVS sequences of E39 and
E39' in ovarian and breast cancer patients to optimize the ex vivo immune
responses, local reactions (LR), and delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH)
reactions. This preliminary analysis revealed both agents are immunogenic
and well tolerated with no differences in toxicities between PVS sequences.
The study demonstrates that the in vivo immune response is enhanced with the
use of the attenuated E39' (GALE-302) after E39 (GALE-301). The optimal
vaccination sequence utilizing three inoculations of GALE-301 followed by
three inoculations of GALE-302 produced the most prominent and statistically
significant LR and DTH responses.
"We are pleased with the outcomes we observed in this trial as we evaluate
strategies to optimize the immune response from our two clinical programs
targeting folate binding protein," said Mark W. Schwartz, President and
Chief Executive Officer. "Folate binding protein is a highly expressed
tumor-associated antigen in many cancers making it a very logical treatment
target for active immunotherapy. It also results in immunogenic peptides
that have led to the development of a potentially very potent vaccine. It is
theorized that this potency could lead to T-cell burn-out in patients over
time, so we are assessing whether incorporating an attenuated version of the
vaccine into the treatment regimen will provide a better immune response.
The data derived from the DTH reactions indicate that treating patients
first with the strong vaccine followed by a weaker version may provide a
longer lasting effect. As the data continues to mature we will consider the
outcomes as we plan the next stages for our GALE-301 and GALE-302 programs."
The Phase 1b is a single-center, randomized, single-blinded, three-arm study
in patients with breast (n=35) or ovarian cancer (n=4) diagnosis who have
been treated by standard of care and are without evidence of disease. The
primary endpoint of the trial is immunologic and designed to determine which
of the three PVS strategies maximizes short and long-term specific immunity
defined as the number of E39-specific CTLs one and six months, respectively
following completion of the PVS.
"The data presented confirms our assumption that sequencing the delivery of
peptides provides varied immune responses and that the delivery can be
optimized to potentially provide improved patient outcomes. Most
importantly, we achieved a statistically significant increase in LR and DTH
when delivering E39 followed by E39' in the PVS (p<0.001). We are currently
implementing a booster program and continued analysis of immunologic
responses will further elucidate the optimal vaccination series for the
prevention of recurrence in breast and ovarian cancer," commented Doreen O.
Jackson, M.D., post-doctoral fellow with the Cancer Vaccine Development
Program and the San Antonio Military Medical Center, and the poster
presenter.
HLA-A2-positive breast or ovarian cancer patients were enrolled after
completion of standard of care. The PVS includes six inoculations, one every
3-4 weeks containing 250mcg GM-CSF plus 500mcg peptide in the first five
patients per arm and 250mcg GM-CSF + 1000mcg of peptide in the second five
patients. Thirty-nine patients were randomized into three arms with 30
patients completing the PVS:
-- E39 (GALE-301) x 6 inoculations (n=12)
-- E39 (GALE-301) x 3 inoculations followed by E39' (GALE-302) x 3
inoculations (n=14)
-- E39' (GALE-302) x 3 inoculations followed by E39 (GALE-301) x 3
inoculations (n=13)
Ex vivo immune response was measured via dextramer assay for E39-specific
CD8+ T-cells at pre-vaccine (R0), then 1 and 6-months after the PVS (RC1,
RC6). To assess the in vivo immune response, LR was measured 48 hours after
each inoculation, and DTH reactions were measured at R0, RC1, and RC6.
Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, 2-tailed t-test,
Chi-squared, Fisher's exact test and ANOVA as appropriate.
About GALE-301 and GALE-302
GALE-301 and GALE-302 are cancer immunotherapies that consist of a peptide
derived from Folate Binding Protein (FBP) combined with the immune adjuvant,
granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for the prevention
of cancer recurrence in the adjuvant setting. GALE-301 is the E39 peptide,
while GALE-302 is an attenuated version of this peptide, known as E39'. FBP
is a well-validated therapeutic target that is highly over-expressed in
ovarian, endometrial and breast cancers, and is the source of immunogenic
peptides that can stimulate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to recognize and
destroy FBP-expressing cancer cells. Two trials are ongoing with FBP
peptides in gynecological cancers: the GALE-301 Phase 2a portion of the
Phase 1/2a clinical trial is ongoing in ovarian and endometrial
adenocarcinomas (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01580696); the GALE-301
plus GALE-302 Phase 1b clinical trial is ongoing in breast and ovarian
cancers (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02019524).
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