ImmunoVaccine Inc. announced the signing of an Investigator-Initiated Study Agreement for the ongoing evaluation of its DPX-0907 cancer vaccine at the Busto Arsizio Hospital in Italy. Marco Bregni, M.D., head of the Oncology Unit of the Hospital of Busto Arsizio, will serve as the principle investigator for the Phase I/II DPX-0907 clinical trial in patients with breast and ovarian cancer. Immunovaccine expects the Phase I/II study to be initiated during the fourth quarter of 2013.

DPX-0907, which incorporates Immunovaccine's DepoVax(TM) adjuvanting technology, is a unique multi-targeted therapeutic vaccine designed to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. A completed Phase I trial of the vaccine therapy in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer patients showed DPX-0907 to be safe and well-tolerated while generating specific polyfunctional T cell responses and triggering increases in antigen targeted CD8 T cells. These positive results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Translational Medicine in August 2012.

DPX-0907 combines seven tumor associated antigens (TAAs) with Immunovaccine's novel DepoVax adjuvanting delivery platform, allowing for the creation of a depot effect upon vaccination that presents the antigens and adjuvant to the immune system for a prolonged period of time. Treatment with DPX-0907 is designed to train the body's T cells, sophisticated white blood cells that play a key role in fighting cancer, to recognize the antigens incorporated into the vaccine. In doing so, the T cells become programmed to specifically target and attack cancer cells, while leaving normal healthy cells unharmed.

By incorporating multiple target antigens, DPX-0907 attempts to attack cancer cells through multiple avenues and potentially minimize the cancer cells' demonstrated ability to edit and escape the impact of individual antigens.