BioVaxys Technology and Sona Nanotech have signed a research agreement to develop cancer therapeutics utilising the former’s DPX immune educating platform (DPX) along with Sona’s targeted hyperthermia therapy (THT).
The joint research focuses on assessing the immune-stimulatory properties of the DPX without antigen cargo, administered with photothermalcancer therapy THT, which uses infrared light and Gold Nanorod (GNR) technology to target and heat tumours. DPX primes the innate immune system.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The partnership will also explore the use of THT with DPX formulation as a carrier for neoantigens, when expressed on the tumour cell surface post-immunotherapy.
Neoantigen proteins, which are crucial for anti-tumour immune response stimulation, are absent in healthy tissues and arise from changes in cancer cells.
Studies will be conducted at Dalhousie University, Canada, under Sona’s chief medical officer (CMO), Carman Giacomantonio, who belongs to the university’s department of pathology, and Barry Kennedy, from the university’s Giacomantonio immuno-oncology research group. The studies are based on the companies’ technologies.
The Giacomantonio immuno-oncology research group will cover the research expenses.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe partnership anticipates joint ownership as well as prosecution of any new therapeutic candidate developed in the programme, with plans to enter a commercialisation agreement for a vaccine clinical candidate before any Phase I trial commencement.
Carman Giacomantonio stated: “Looking beyond our approaching first-in-human early feasibility study clinical trial for our THT cancer therapy, Sona continues to conduct research to build our pipeline of programs to fully exploit the potential of our GNR technology platform.
“To that end, we’re pleased to enter this research collaboration with BioVaxys, whose DPX technology provides a unique delivery system that better presents antigens to the immune system.”
Sona’s GNR technology, central to its THT therapy, is manufactured without cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), reducing toxicity risks in medical applications.
BioVaxys’ DPX technology incorporates bioactive molecules to generate long-lasting immune responses. The non-aqueous DPX platform has have shown inducing durable T cell and B cell responses in pre-clinical and clinical studies for cancer and infectious conditions.
