Scancell licenses Vaccitech IP for its next vaccine candidate

Scancell has in-licensed ‘SNAPvax’ technology from clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Vaccitech, it announced on Monday.

The AIM-traded firm said the agreement would allow it to formulate and manufacture ‘Modi-2’, with the aim of initiating a phase 1 clinical study in cancer patients in 2024.

It described Modi-2 as the second product from its ‘Moditope’ platform, which leverages the immune system to target a unique class of post-translational modifications (PTMs) upregulated by many cancers.

The SNAPvax technology enables peptides to self-assemble with TLR-7/8a, a “powerful” adjuvant, to promote strong T-cell responses, and was proven to successfully overcome formulation issues associated with immunogenic peptide antigens, which are often highly hydrophobic and prone to manufacturing challenges with conventional formulations.

Scancell said Modi-2 would use SNAPvax to codeliver homocitrullinated peptide antigens and TLR-7/8a adjuvants in self-assembling nanoparticles designed to prime tumour-killing T-cells.

The company said it expected that the combination of Scancell's Modi-2 with a “highly effective” platform for inducing T cells such as SNAPvax would lead to a “potentially superior” therapeutic vaccine candidate.

“We are pleased to partner with Vaccitech to take the second candidate from our Moditope platform through GMP and subsequent clinical development,” said chief executive officer Lindy Durrant.

“With its elegant and effective solution, the SNAPvax technology provides an excellent method for formulation of the Modi-2 vaccine.

“Combining this technology with our expertise will allow us to develop a rapid manufacturing process for Modi-2, with the hope that we can bring it into a phase 1 clinical study during 2024.”

At 1100 GMT, shares in Scancell Holdings were up 4.05% at 19.9p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.