Friday, 4 April 2008. Medical Marketing International Group plc (MMI) (AIM:MMG), the life sciences company focused on the development of drugs for cancer and infectious diseases, today announces that interim results from a University of Southampton Phase I/II clinical study in prostate cancer will be presented by Professor Christian Ottensmeier’s team at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2008 that is taking place in San Diego, USA from 12 to 16 April 2008 (the Meeting).
This academic 30-patient study uses a therapeutic DNA vaccine that incorporates the vaccine technology of Genvax, a subsidiary of MMI. The technology was developed at the University of Southampton and is exclusively licensed from Cancer Research UK’s technology transfer company, Cancer Research Technology Ltd. The study is designed to evaluate the safety and immunological effects of a vaccine that targets prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein expressed on the surface of prostate cancer cells. The study also evaluates the ability of electroporation to enhance the delivery of the DNA vaccine using a device developed by Inovio Biomedical Corporation of San Diego.
Preliminary safety and immunological results from this study were presented in May 2007. Professor Christian Ottensmeier and his team will report that:
A cellular response (CD8+) against the PSMA tumour antigen is detected in 6 out of the 10 patients analysed to date. Further analyses have confirmed the previously reported observation that an immune response is generated against the tetanus toxin component of the vaccine. The vaccine and the electroporation delivery method are well tolerated. The study has completed recruitment.
These latest results show that a DNA vaccine based on this technology can induce the CD8+ cytotoxic T cell activity that is believed to be critical for effective immunotherapy against cancer.
In advance of the Meeting, an abstract of the presentation (Abstract Number 2843) including CD8+ response data for the first three patients is now available at www.aacr.org. The presentation during the Meeting will include this data from the first ten patients referred to above.
The development of the vaccine technology was supported by the UK cancer charities: Leukaemia Research Fund and Cancer Research UK. The study was supported by Cancer Research UK funding, the Allan Willett Foundation, Inovio Biomedical Corporation and the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre in Southampton. The clinical study is a collaborative project between the University of Southampton, Southampton University Hospitals and Royal Marsden Hospital.
Enquiries: Medical Marketing International Group plc Phil Cartmell, Non-executive Chairman Tel: +44 (0) 1223 477 677 Mark Burton, Chief Technical Officer
Canaccord Adams Robert Finlay/Adria Da Breo Tel: +44 (0)20 7050 6500 Financial Dynamics David Yates/Ben Atwell/Emma Thompson Tel: +44 (0)20 7831 3113
About MMI Medical Marketing International Group plc (“MMI”) is a life sciences company that identifies, acquires and develops world-class compounds and technologies from leading academic organisations. These technologies are aimed at generating products to satisfy unmet needs in major therapeutic markets. The Company manages the preclinical and early clinical development of drug candidates before pursuing licensing partners to manage late-stage development. Through its three platform technologies MMI has a risk-balanced portfolio of compounds in development for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. Please visit www.mmigroup.co.uk for further information.
