On March 18, 2019 IMV Inc. (IMV) (Nasdaq: IMV; TSX: IMV), a clinical stage immuno-oncology corporation, reported that Canadian bioresearch consortium CQDM has awarded a grant to a collaboration among IMV, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, and La Fondation du CHU de Québec (FCHUQc) (Press release, IMV, MAR 18, 2019, View Source [SID1234553817]).

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Under the leadership of Yves Fradet, M.D., professor of surgery and researcher in cancer immunotherapy, and his team, in collaboration with IMV’s team , this project will receive a grant of up to CAN$1.2M from CQDM and CAN$300,000 from the FCHUQc, to develop a novel dual target T cell therapy for an initial clinical application in bladder cancer.

The work will target immunogenic peptides identified by Dr Fradet’s team from the MAGE protein family member A9 (MAGE-A9). This protein is frequently expressed in various human cancers including bladder, lung, and kidney.1 These peptides will be combined with selected immunogenic peptides from the survivin protein composing the DPX-Survivac T cell drug candidate.

The researchers believe that MAGE-A9 and survivin peptides presented on the surface of cancer cells can be used to program T cells to destroy tumors and may represent ideal targets for anti-cancer T cell immunotherapies. The collaborators will combine these peptides with IMV’s proprietary DPX technology to develop a first-in-class dual target T cell therapy (DPX-SurMAGE).

"We believe that DPX is a truly disruptive technology that enables us to program T cells in vivo in a novel way, and we are grateful that CQDM and its funding partner the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation, along with the FCHUQc, are willing to support this highly innovative program," said Stéphan Fiset, Vice President, Clinical Research at IMV. "Our goal remains to expand the range of patients able to benefit from T cell immunotherapies. This program provides an opportunity for us to collaborate with Dr. Fradet’s team and other experts in the bladder cancer field to advance a potential new candidate for the many patients whose current treatment options are limited."

DPX-SurMAGE will be initially evaluated in preclinical studies. Upon successful completion of these preclinical evaluations, researchers are aiming to test the candidate in two clinical studies in patients with:

Muscle invasive bladder cancer combined with an anti-PD-1 and intermittent low-dose cyclophosphamide (CPA) prior to cystectomy
Low-grade highly recurrent non muscle invasive bladder cancer combined with CPA prior to transurethral resection
"Bladder cancer remains a significant unmet medical need and we believe that a novel T cell therapy directed against two cancer targets that are expressed in the majority of bladder tumors may improve outcomes, particularly for those who are at higher risk of recurrence and progression," said Dr. Fradet. "We are pleased to be working under the support of CQDM and the FCHUQc with our partner IMV, and its novel clinical development approach, to advance the options in this cancer, which has already shown promising response to immunotherapy. This project contributes to position the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval as a leader in medical innovation."

The project is expected to span a three-year period and will be supported by IMV, CQDM and FCHUQc. As part of the collaboration agreement, IMV holds an exclusive option to in-license intellectual property related to the program.