Vaccitech Doses First Patient in HBV002, a Phase 1b/2a Clinical Trial of VTP-300 Immunotherapeutic Candidate for Chronic HBV Patients
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February 01, 2021 03:00 ET | Source: Vaccitech Limited
OXFORD, United Kingdom, Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaccitech Ltd, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel immunotherapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer, today announced the dosing of the first patient in HBV002. HBV002 is a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of VTP-300 both with and without a low-dose anti-PD-1 antibody in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. The study plans to enroll 64 patients in South Korea, Taiwan and the UK.
VTP-300 will utilize Vaccitech’s ChAdOx1-MVA prime-boost combination to elicit an immune response against HBV. The HBV DNA sequence contained in the viral vectors is derived from a genotype C sequence, which is the most common genotype circulating worldwide. The platform has demonstrated robust activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells (immune cells associated with clearance of HBV infected cells), which are believed to have the potential to lead to a functional cure in combination with current anti-viral therapy and a low-dose checkpoint inhibitor.
“HBV infection is a serious chronic viral infection of the liver that affects an estimated 257 million people worldwide, including more than two million in the U.S. and 13 million in Europe, and results in approximately 880 thousand deaths per year,” said Bill Enright, Chief Executive Officer of Vaccitech. “Prophylactic vaccines cannot treat HBV infection, and there are no highly effective curative regimens. VTP-300, which we designed as a potential functional cure of chronic HBV, represents an opportunity to address this serious unmet need. We are looking forward to the results of this trial, and if successful, advancing VTP-300 into later clinical development.”
Prof Ellie Barnes, from University of Oxford, and Chief Investigator on the HBV002 trial says, “By targeting the HBV genotype C, which is the most prevalent worldwide and is particularly common where the virus is endemic, we have designed an immunotherapeutic to address a very broad population of patients. We also believe it may induce T cell responses against other common genotypes, and given the promising preclinical results, we are very excited to see the first patient treated in this latest clinical trial.”
Notes to editors:
About Vaccitech Ltd.
Vaccitech is a clinical stage T cell immunotherapy and vaccine company developing products to treat infectious diseases and cancer. The company’s proprietary platform, comprising Chimpanzee Adenovirus (prime) and MVA (boost) is designed to induce, boost and maintain CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, as well as antibodies. The Vaccitech prime-boost platform is licensed from one of the most prestigious vaccine research institutes in the world, the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford. In partnership with the Jenner, Vaccitech co-invented and led aspects of the early development of a SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine, based upon its proprietary Chimpanzee Adenovirus Oxford, or ChAdOx1, platform. The COVID-19 vaccine, now known as AZD1222, was assigned by Vaccitech to Oxford University Innovation and has been licensed by Oxford University Innovation to AstraZeneca, which has received emergency use authorization in countries across the world.
Vaccitech has multiple therapeutic programs in the clinic including a Phase 1/2 program for chronic HBV and HPV, a Phase 2 program for prostate cancer, as well as a program preparing to enter the clinic for NSCLC. The company is also co-developing prophylactic products for MERS coronavirus and Herpes Zoster with international collaborators. Vaccitech is backed by leading institutions including GV, Sequoia Capital China, Korea Investment Partners and Oxford Sciences Innovation.
Bill Enright说：“ HBV感染是肝脏的一种严重的慢性病毒感染，影响全世界约2.57亿人，其中包括美国的200万人和欧洲的1300万人，每年导致约88万人死亡。” Vaccitech首席执行官。预防性疫苗不能治疗HBV感染，也没有高效的治疗方案。我们将VTP-300设计为慢性HBV的潜在功能疗法，它为解决这一严重的未满足需求提供了机会。我们期待该试验的结果，如果成功的话，也将VTP-300推进以后的临床开发。”