ImmunoCellular Therapeutics (IMUC.OB) New Data from PI Glioblastoma Multiforme Trial at ASCO

May 24, 2011 3:20 PM ET

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Editor and Publisher ... Henry enters his thirteen (13) year at RegMed Investors which aggregates, curates and creates bottom-line content of regenerative medicine - stem, gene and cell therapy news providing a "vetted" selection of relevant and high-impact synthesis. He was VP - Strategic Planning and Communication at Curis (2001-2002), HQCM focusing on healthcare investments (NYSE:HQH/HQL) from (1985-2001)and founded LifeScience Economics, a healthcare research and analytics firm with offices in Boston, MA and Palo Alto, CA. Past experiences include Thermo Scientific, SWEC following 5 years at the FBI. A former military officer, Henry has been an adjunct professor at Boston University and Golden Gate University where he taught courses in venture capital, corporate finance and strategic development in the universities' graduate business schools.

100% of Patients in Study express at least 3 Antigens targeted By ICT-107; validating positive correlation between targeting stem cells and survival

IMUC.OB presented new data from the PI clinical trial of ICT-107, the lead cancer vaccine candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

The abstract titled, “Glioma-associated antigens associated with prolonged survival in a phase I study of ICT-107 for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma” (Abstract #2042) will show that there is a correlation between the immunological response that ICT-107 generated in the form of antigens and both progression-free and overall survival.

These observations suggest that targeting antigens highly expressed by cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a promising strategy for treating patients with glioblastoma. Tumor analyses for expression of the 6 antigens targeted by ICT-107 – HER-2, TRP-2, gp100, MAGE1, IL-13Rα2, and AIM-2 – revealed all patients exhibited at least 3 of these antigens and 75% exhibited all 6.

The bottom Line: Patients who demonstrated immunological response to vaccination with ICT-107 had longer PFS compared to non-responders. Responders also exhibited a trend toward longer OS. Patients who had recurrences after vaccination exhibited decreased levels of CD133, a biomarker of CSCs. In contrast, previous studies demonstrated an increase in CD133 expression in patients who underwent treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. This new data follows previously announced two-year results showing an overall survival (OS) rate of 80% and a progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 44%, which compare very favorably to historic median survival rates with standard of care alone. At a median analysis time of 32 months, 11 out of 16 patients in the trial were still alive (69%) and 6 out of 16 (38%) continued to be disease-free.

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