Multi-epitope T-cell Vaccine Shows Promise in Ovarian and Breast Cancer

TapImmune, Inc. is developing a vaccine in partnership with the Mayo Clinic and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. They believe it could soon be offered to women with breast and ovarian cancer where initial therapy has not been successful.
TPIV200 is a multi-epitope T-cell vaccine that targets folate receptor alpha (FRa). It is comprised of a mixture of five folate receptor alpha peptides. Phase 1 of the study showed patients who were immunised with the TPIV200 vaccine tolerated it well, and that generation of T-cell immunity following immunization was robust and long-lasting. 91% of patients had an antigen-specific response, with 89% of those patients responding to multiple epitopes included in TPIV200. Peter Hoang, President and CEO of TapImmune, said all patients remained alive at last follow-up, at least 2 years following initiation of immunization.