On September 16, 2020 HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK, ‘HOOKIPA’), a company developing a new class of immunotherapeutics targeting infectious diseases and cancers based on its proprietary arenavirus platform, reported a publication in the peer reviewed, open access journal OncoImmunology of a paper on HB-201, an arenavirus vector-based immunotherapy for Human Papillomavirus 16-positive (HPV16+) cancers currently in clinical trials (Press release, Hookipa Pharma, SEP 16, 2020, View Source [SID1234565233]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
The paper shows that systemically administered HB-201 leads to:
Dose-dependent induction of a robust, systemic cytotoxic T cell response directed against HPV16 proteins;
Tumor infiltration of HPV16 specific cytotoxic T cells; and
Significantly delayed tumor growth or complete tumor clearance accompanied with prolonged survival.
Mice that have cleared tumors post-HB-201 administration developed long-term protection, as demonstrated by the rejection of re-administered tumors. Furthermore, the combination of HB-201 with a checkpoint inhibitor (a-PD-1) increased the anti-tumor efficacy, with more than 77% of treated mice clearing established tumors.
HB-201 is one of HOOKIPA’s lead oncology candidates. It targets HPV16 E6/E7 and is based on the Company’s replicating LCMV (TheraT) arenaviral vector platform. It is currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trials (NCT04180215) for HPV16+ cancers alone and in combination with an approved checkpoint inhibitor.
"HPV-associated cancers, especially head and neck cancers, remain a significant health concern, as no curative therapies are currently available. We are very pleased that these results suggest that the HB-201 program can be a promising therapy for HPV+ cancers," said Igor Matushansky, MD, PhD, HOOKIPA’s Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Research and Development.
Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, is estimated to cause about 5% of the worldwide burden of cancers. This includes approximately 99% of cases in cervical, up to 60% of head and neck, 70% of vaginal and 88% of anal cancers.
The majority of these cancers are caused by the HPV serotype 16. Most infections with HPV are cleared from the body with no lasting consequences. However, in some cases, HPV DNA becomes integrated into chromosomal DNA. When host cells take up this DNA, they express the HPV E6 and E7 proteins. This uptake can potentially lead to cancer since expression of these proteins leads to alterations in cell cycle control, which in turn predisposes these cells to become cancerous. The publication, "Live-attenuated lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-based vaccines for active immunotherapy of HPV16-positive cancer", is available online in OncoImmunology.