Publication highlights potential of AvidiMab

12 June 2020

Scancell Holdings plc

("Scancell" or the "Company")

Peer reviewed publication highlights potential of AvidiMab™ to enhance the potency of any therapeutic antibody

Scancell Holdings plc, (AIM:SCLP), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, is pleased to note the publication of its manuscript in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), entitled: "Engineering the human Fc-region enables direct cell killing by cancer glycan-targeting antibodies without the need for immune effector cells or complement".¹

The paper describes how Scancell's AvidiMab™ modifications to the constant region (Fc) of any antibody can improve avidity, or strength of interaction, between the antibody and its target antigen, thereby improving the antibody's potential therapeutic properties. This same modification also has demonstrated that Scancell's own tumour-associated glycan (TaG) antibodies can directly kill tumour cells.

In recent years, antibodies have become the best-selling drugs in the pharmaceutical market and have been approved for treating various human diseases, including many cancers, autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases. The global therapeutic monoclonal antibody market is estimated to be US$150 billion in 2019 and predicted to grow to US$300 billion by 2025.²

The ability to increase the potential therapeutic properties of any antibody would therefore be seen as highly advantageous. Scancell has used its AvidiMab™ technology to increase the avidity of its TaG antibodies, and these are currently being evaluated for the treatment of cancer. They are also being developed as antibody-drug conjugates (ADC).³

Professor Lindy Durrant, Chief Scientific Officer of Scancell and Corresponding Author, commented:

"We are pleased to have our work published in the prestigious, peer reviewed journal, Cancer Research. Our AvidiMab™ technology increases the avidity of human antibodies by promoting non-covalent Fc-Fc interactions. This modification also causes direct killing of cancer cells by our glycan targeting antibodies, and therefore we believe this technology has the ability to create superior candidates for cancer immunotherapy."

^1. Vankemmelbeke M, McIntosh RS, Chua J, Kirk T, Daniels I, Patsalidou M, Moss R, Parsons T, Scott D, Harris G, Ramage J, Spendlove I and Durrant LG. Engineering the human Fc-region enables direct cell killing by cancer glycan-targeting antibodies without the need for immune effector cells or complement. Cancer Res 2020 doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-3599

^2. Lu, R., Hwang, Y., Liu, I. et al. Development of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of diseases. J Biomed Sci 27, 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-019-0592-z  

³  Tivadar ST, McIntosh RS, Chua JX, Moss R, Parsons T, Zaitoun AM, Madhusudan S, Durrant LG, Vankemmelbeke M. Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Sialyl-di-Lewisa - Containing Internalizing and non-Internalizing Glycoproteins with Cancer Immunotherapy Development Potential. Mol Cancer Ther. 2020 Mar;19(3):790-801 doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-19-0221.

For Further Information:

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its ImmunoBody® and Moditope® technology platforms.

ImmunoBody® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system. They have the potential to be used as monotherapy or in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and other agents. This platform has the potential to enhance tumour destruction, prevent disease recurrence and extend survival.

·      SCIB1, the lead programme, is being developed for the treatment of melanoma. A phase 1/2 clinical trial has so far successfully demonstrated survival data of more than five years.

·      SCIB2 is being developed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumours. Scancell has entered into a clinical development partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) for SCIB2.

Moditope® represents a completely new class of potent and selective immunotherapy agents based on stress-induced post-translational modifications (siPTM). It stimulates the production of killer CD4 T cells which overcome the immune suppression induced by tumours, allowing activated T cells to seek out and kill tumour cells that would otherwise be hidden from the immune system. Moditope® alone, or in combination with other agents, has the potential to treat a wide variety of cancers.

·      Modi-1 is being developed for the treatment of solid tumours including triple negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer and head and neck cancer.

AvidiMab™ is a patent protected technology platform which increases the avidity of human antibodies by promoting non-covalent Fc-Fc interactions. This modification induces the direct tumour cell killing properties of Scancell's anti-glycan monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) but has broad potential to increase the avidity or potency of any therapeutic monoclonal antibody including those being developed for autoimmune diseases, as well as cancer.

For further details, please see our website:  www.scancell.co.uk