On November 3, 2020 OncoSec Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ:ONCS) (the "Company" or "OncoSec") reported that it will present new positive interim data from its KEYNOTE-695 registration-enabled Phase 2b clinical trial investigating TAVO (tavokinogene telseplasmid), a DNA plasmid-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in patients with anti-PD-1 checkpoint refractory metastatic melanoma at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper)’s 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting, to be held virtually from November 9-14, 2020 (Press release, OncoSec Medical, NOV 3, 2020, View Source [SID1234569780]).
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The KEYNOTE-695 abstract was selected as one of five studies to be featured in an oral presentation and discussion during the "Virtual Poster Walks" to be held on Tuesday, November 10, time to be determined.
Dr. Paolo Ascierto will also discuss the KEYNOTE-695 data at a Company Symposium entitled, "DNA Plasmid-Based IL-12 Delivered Intratumoral Electroporation: Achieving Meaningful Tumor Response while Avoiding Systemic Toxicities," to be held on November 12 at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Symposium will include presentations from additional key opinion leaders about TAVO and DNA electro-transfer for cancer immunotherapies.
Additionally, OncoSec will be presenting two posters regarding immunological data in metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) and preliminary pre-clinical data regarding CORVax12, OncoSec’s novel DNA-encodable vaccine for COVID-19. CORVax12 combines TAVO with the National Institute of Health’s DNA-encodable stabilized trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and is expected to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial in the immediate future given recent IND acceptance.
Details about the presentations and Symposium are as follows:
Oral Presentation – Poster Walk
Title: Durable responses and immune activation with intratumoral electroporation of pIL-12 plus pembrolizumab in actively progressing anti-PD-1 refractory advanced melanoma: KEYNOTE 695 interim data
Poster #: 799
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 10, time to be determined.
Presenter: Adil Daud, M.D., HS Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Director, Melanoma Clinical Research, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Symposium
Event Name: DNA Plasmid-Based IL-12 Delivered Intratumoral Electroporation: Achieving Meaningful Tumor Response while Avoiding Systemic Toxicities
Date/Time: Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. ET
Presenters:
Paulo Ascierto, M.D., Director Dept. of Melanoma, Cancer Immunotherapy, Development Therapeutics, Ist. Naz. Tumori IRCCS Pascale
Deborah Charych, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Technology Officer at RayzeBio
Richard Heller, Ph.D., Professor at University of South Florida
Michael Pritchett, D.O. and M.P.H. ,Director of Thoracic Oncology; Director, Chest Center of the Carolinas; FirstHealth of the Carolinas; Pinehurst Medical Clinic Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
Chris Twitty, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer (moderator)
Additional Poster Presentations
Title: Intratumoral plasmid IL-12 expands CD8+ T cells and induces a clinically validated CXCR3 signature in triple-negative breast cancer
Poster #: 789
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 11, 2020 from 5:15–5:45 p.m. ET and Friday, November 13 from 4:40–5:10 p.m. ET
Session: Virtual Poster Hall
Presenter: Erika J. Crosby, Ph.D., Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center
Title: Preliminary evaluation of a novel coronavirus vaccine (CORVax) using electroporation of plasmid DNA encoding a stabilized prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike protein alone or with transfection of plasmid IL-12
Poster #: 480
Date/Time: Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 4:50–5:20 p.m. EST and Saturday, November 14 from 1–1:30 p.m. EST
Session: Virtual Poster Hall
Presenter: Shawn M. Jensen, Ph.D., Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Portland Medical Center
Copies of the posters will be archived and available in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.oncosec.com on Nov. 9, 2020.
About KEYNOTE-695
KEYNOTE-695 is OncoSec’s registration-directed Phase 2b trial (NCT#03132675) evaluating TAVO (tavokinogene telseplasmid), a DNA plasmid-based interleukin-12 (IL-12) + KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in patients with anti-PD-1 checkpoint resistant metastatic melanoma. The trial aims to enroll up to 100 patients with refractory, locally advanced or metastatic disease defined as unresectable Stage III/IV metastatic melanoma that had definitively progressed on a full-course of anti-PD-1 treatment with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) or OPDIVO (nivolumab). TAVO has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of metastatic melanoma following progression on KEYTRUDA or OPDIVO.
About TAVO
OncoSec’s gene therapy technology combines TAVOTM (tavokinogene telseplasmid), a DNA plasmid-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), with an intra-tumoral electroporation gene delivery platform to achieve endogenous IL-12 production in the tumor microenvironment that enables the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. TAVO has demonstrated a local and systemic anti-tumor response in several clinical trials, including the pivotal Phase 2b trial KEYNOTE-695 for metastatic melanoma and the KEYNOTE-895 Phase 2 trial in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TAVO has received both Orphan Drug and Fast-Track Designation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.
About Advanced Metastatic Melanoma
Metastatic melanoma refers to stage IV melanoma, which has typically spread through the lymph nodes to distant sites in the body such as the liver, lungs, bones and brain. Every year, approximately 100,000 adults in the United States are diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. Due to this metastatic tumor burden, stage IV melanoma is often very difficult to treat. Available treatment options frequently combine surgery with immunotherapy or targeted therapy. The 5-year survival rate for metastatic melanoma is approximately 25%.
About Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
Metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer with a high recurrence rate within the first five years following diagnosis, which accounts for 10-20% of all breast cancers. Unlike some other breast cancers, mTNBC does not express estrogen or progesterone receptors or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and it does not respond to existing cancer drugs designed to target these markers. mTNBC is difficult to treat and there are very few FDA approved treatment options for these patients, which mostly rely on surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. The 5-year survival rate for these patients is approximately 11%.
About CORVax
CORVax is the only DNA vaccine that uses an immune stimulant to promote an immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The CORVax vaccine approach combines the co-administration of TAVO (plasmid IL-12) with a DNA-encodable version of the SARS-CoV-2 spike or "S" glycoprotein to enhance immunogenicity of the component developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center. CORVax12 is designed to drive a coordinated vaccine response, capable of drawing upon the innate and adaptive humoral and cellular arms. This multi-pronged innate, adaptive and cellular immune response has the potential to generate a robust anti-viral response.