New discoveries in cancer related immunosuppression are paving the way for an entirely new immunotherapeutic strategy.
Cancer immunotherapy – the treatment approach that utilizes and enhances the power of the immune system - looks promising. Alternative or complementary approaches are also being investigated to enhance the efficacy of the present generation of cancer immunotherapy.
Today at the Immunotherapy Bridge 2018 conference in Naples, Italy, organized under the auspices of Melanoma Foundation and SITC (Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer), Assoc. Prof. Leif Hakansson of CanImGuide Therapeutics AB for the first time publicly presented his entirely new scientific discoveries in cancer related immunosuppression, and also a drug candidate to break such suppression.
The abstract presented is titled “Cancer immunosuppression induced by albumin derived neo-structures” and describes how a previously unknown neo-structure was discovered and demonstrated to be a potent suppressor of the immune system. This neo-structure blocks the actions of an important membrane receptor, LFA-1, playing several key roles for immune mediated cancer control. A natural inhibitor of LFA-1 was discovered.
The abstract further describes how this cancer immunosuppression, can be reversed by a complementary binding synthetic peptide – P28R, which is binding to and inhibiting the immunosuppressive neo-structure and thereby restoring the ability of the immune system to fight the cancer.
The above neo-structure has been found in all types of cancer so far studied. Spontaneous tumors in dogs have already been treated successfully with the candidate drug P28R and a First-in-Man study has been initiated in Sweden.
Most immunotherapy today is focusing on check point inhibitors, but some 75% of advanced cancer patients do not benefit from such therapy. Some new approaches are also attacking the protective cells that manage to “shield” the tumor from the immune system. The abstract presented outlines an entirely different type of immunotherapy acting upstream of present approaches, i.e. an entirely new immunotherapeutic strategy, which could prove to be important in future cancer treatment, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other types of immunotherapy.
Media contacts:
Leif Hakansson, CSO CanImGuide, Tel: +46 709 736 841, leif.hakansson@canimguide.com
Johan Drott, CEO CanImGuide , Tel +46 709 224 140, johan.drott@canimguide.com
Anders Mansson, Chairman, CanImGuide, Tel: +46 723 278 560, am@longboatexplorers.com
About CanImGuide Therapeutics
CanImGuide Therapeutics AB is a private biopharmaceutical company developing immunology therapeutics with a novel, simple but sophisticated and highly innovative approach to immunotherapy. The company is based in Lund, Sweden and is presently focusing on additional studies on spontaneous tumors in dogs, it’s recently initiated First-in-Man clinical study on intratumoral administration of P28R and preparing for a subcutaneous administration phase 1/2a study in 2019.
Leif Hakansson has a background as an Associate Professor at Lund University, Senior Consultant in Oncology and Head of Clinical Tumor Immunology at the University Hospital of Linkoping. Leif Hakansson has published more than 80 reviewed articles, participated in more than 40 conference presentations on the above and other topics and is the inventor of more than 10 approved patents.
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