CureVac and MD Anderson Ink Strategic Collaboration for Cancer Vaccines

The two institutions will leverage their mRNA and clinical development abilities to create novel cancer vaccines

Photo by National Cancer Institute on UnsplashCureVac (Tübingen, Germany) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center entered a co-development and licensing deal to develop mRNA-based cancer vaccines. CureVac focuses on mRNA technology and will leverage its expertise with mRNA design and manufacturing with its capabilities for cancer antigen discovery. MD Anderson also has significant expertise and experience in cancer antigen discovery, translational drug development, and clinical research.

Both organizations will work on identifying differentiated cancer antigens using whole genome sequencing, long- and short-read RNA sequencing and bioinformatics. Joint preclinical validation of the most appropriate cancer antigens will be supported by Sachet Shukla, PhD, Assistant Professor of Hematopoietic Biology & Malignancy and director of the department’s cancer vaccine program, along with MD Anderson’s ECLIPSE (Evolution of Cancer, Leukemia, and Immunity Post Stem cEll transplant) platform, which is part of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division.

“We look forward to collaborating with the team at MD Anderson to push the boundaries of mRNA technology and develop impactful therapeutic options for patients in need,” said Dr. Alexander Zehnder, CEO of CureVac. “In combining our respective expertise, we believe we can go further and faster to develop novel, off-the-shelf, mRNA-based cancer vaccines that have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes.”

CureVac recently announced promising interim Phase II trial data of its seasonal influenza vaccine candidate it is conducting with GlaxoSmithKline. Part of a Phase I/II trial, the multivalent candidate was chosen from Phase I, which tested vaccine candidates with up to eight separate mRNA constructs per candidate. The data showed the vaccine candidate that uses CureVac’s proprietary second-generation mRNA backbone increased antibody titers against all encoded flu strains, across all age groups and tested dose levels, including at the lowest tested dose. The vaccine candidate also appeared to be safe and tolerable.

Under the terms of the partnership between CureVac and MD Anderson, the two institutions will share development activities. CureVac holds global exclusive rights to late-stage development, commercialization, or partnering of the cancer vaccine candidates. MD Anderson is eligible for “downstream” payments based on commercialization activities.

“Our ECLIPSE team uses proprietary high-throughput technology to identify and validate immune targets, and we are driven to advance impactful immunotherapies with the potential to transform the lives of patients with cancer,” stated Jeffrey Molldrem, MD, chair of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy and leader of MD Anderson’s ECLIPSE platform.