High incidence of CDX-110 tumor target

The USA's Celldex Therapeutics has reported data highlighting the importance of epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), a unique gene mutation found frequently in tumors, which is targeted by its lead product candidate, CDX-110, a peptide immunotherapeutic.

According to the firm, this tumor-specific mutation has been identified in both primary glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and in several other common tumor types. At the Targeted Immunotherapeutics and Vaccine Summit in Cambridge, Massachussetts, USA, Albert Wong, Professor of the Cancer Biology Program at Stanford University Medical Center, presented data around his novel and sensitive polymerase chain reaction detection method that identified patients whose tumors might benefit from the use of CDX-110.

Dr Wong's data demonstrate a high incidence of the EGFRvIII mutation in patients with colon, breast, and ovarian cancer. He also reported findings from Phase I studies in patients with ovarian and prostate cancer, which demonstrate that treatment with Celldex' EGFRvIII peptide was well-tolerated and induced specific immune responses in patients that expressed the mutant receptor.