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May 11, 2009
ADVAXIS SCIENTIFIC FOUNDER PUBLISHED IN PRESTIGIOUS PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Topic: Anti-Angiogenic Cancer Vaccine, Using Advaxis Technology, Effects Tumors
North Brunswick, NJ – May 11, 2009 – Dr. Yvonne Paterson (University of Pennsylvania), scientific founder of Advaxis, Incorporated (OTCBB: ADXS) and members of her laboratory have a recently published work in the peer-reviewed Journal of Immunology on a new anti-angiogenic cancer vaccine (Seavey et al . J.I., 2009. 182:5537-46). This agent uses Advaxis proprietary technology to deliver the antigen VEGF-2 (aka fetal liver kinase-1) fused to a non-hemolytic form of the bacterial adjuvant Listeriolysin-O via a bioengineered strain of living Listeria monocytogenes.
As reported in the paper, "Lm-Listeriolysin-O-fetal liver kinase-1 was able to eradicate some established breast tumors, reduce micro-vascular density in the remaining tumors, protect against tumor re-challenge and experimental metastases and induce attack-target (epitope) spreading to various regions of the tumor-associated Ag HER-2/neu." Consistent with the results of other vaccines based upon Lm-LLO technology, Lm-LLO-VEGF2 was an effective agent and had a significant therapeutic anti-angiogenic effect on tumor vasculature. Interestingly, an additional therapeutic effect due to epitope spreading was observed.
Epitope spreading is a phenomenon that increases the potential efficacy of an immunotherapeutic agent to epitopes other than that for which it is designed. It is believed to occur when the immune system is activated and tumor cells are killed releasing new epitopes which are taken up by the activated immune system and used as new targets. Live Listeria vaccines have been previously associated with epitope spreading.
Anti-vasculature immunity, induced by Lm-LLO technology that can induce an immune response to unidentified tumor antigens, suggests that this approach could act as a "universal" cancer vaccine, applicable to any tumor.
As reported in previous Lm-LLO publications, animals in whom tumors were eradicated did not form new tumors when tumor cells were subsequently re-introduced; thus, demonstrating persistent anti-tumor immunity as a result of vaccination.
About the ADXS11-001 Immunotherapy
Advaxis™ technology platform uses modified Listeria monocytogenes to deliver a tumor-specific antigen fusion protein. Pre-clinically, bioengineered attenuated Listeria that secrete Advaxis™ proprietary fusion protein have the ability to generate a robust immune response, break immune tolerance to cancer and produce an unusually strong and effective multi-level therapeutic immune response to existing cancer and other diseases.
Advaxis™ Listeria-based technology is based on over a decade worth of work by Dr. Yvonne Paterson in her laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. The Company’s proprietary antigen fusion protein technology stimulates innate immunity i.e., both arms of the adaptive cellular immune system, suppresses regulatory T-cells that inhibit many vaccines in the function of activated tumor-killing cells in addition to other anti-tumor effects.
For further information on ADXS11-001, please visit: www.advaxis.com/lc.htm.
About Advaxis, Incorporated
Based in North Brunswick, New Jersey, Advaxis is developing proprietary Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) cancer vaccines based on technology developed by Dr. Yvonne Paterson, professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania and chairperson of Advaxis’ scientific advisory board. Advaxis is developing attenuated live Lm vaccines that deliver engineered tumor antigens, which stimulate multiple simultaneous immunological mechanisms to fight cancer.
For further information on the Company, please visit: www.advaxis.com.
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