Technology Opportunities

Need:
Novel approaches for cancer management for adavnced stage melanoma patients are a significant unmet clinical need.

Innovation:
A Novel tool for active immunization of cancer patients by using modified tumor cell lines expressing MHC-I and co-stimulatory molecules.

Findings:

The cell line platform is based on successful clinical trials led by Prof. Lotem with both autologous and allogeneic melanoma vaccines.

• “Autologous” melanoma vaccine - Self melanoma tumor cells that induces antitumor immune responses that affect patient survival and depend on MHC-II expression on vaccine cells.
• Allogeneic melanoma cells expressing HLA-matched molecules.
• Improved immunogenicity of melanoma cells in vitro by de novo expression of a key co-stimulatory molecule.

Indications / Applications:

• Tumor-cell based vaccine with enforced immunogenicity as an “off the shelf product".
• The vaccine is tailor-made for MHC-I matching and enhanced by the expression of co-stimulatory molecule
• The vaccines can be used independently as a single treatment like an adjuvant treatment for metastatic patients or in combinations with other therapies.

Competitive Advantage:
A Novel approach that was tested in clinical trial for high risk or low residual disease melanoma patients – phase I/II Study. The study was designed for patients who had malignant melanoma and following tumor removal are free of disease, or have only very minor residual disease and are at a very high risk of disease recurrence.