GVAX is a cancer vaccine composed of whole tumor cells genetically modified to secrete the immune stimulatory cytokine, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and then irradiated to prevent further cell division. The product exists as both autologous (patient specific) and allogeneic (non-patient specific) therapy.
History
GVAX was developed around 1993 by Glenn Dranoff, a cancer researcher then at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The therapy was initially developed by a public gene therapy company called Somatix, which was acquired in 1997 by Cell Genesys. That company took the vaccine into Phase III trials in 2004 however these trials were halted in 2008 due to an apparent lack of efficacy. Cell Genesys continued development, however in August 2009, due to funding difficulties, the company announced that it was merging with BioSante Pharmaceuticals. In 2013 BioSante sold the GVAx program to Aduro Biotech, a company based in Berkeley, California. In 2020 Aduro Biotech merged with Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. to form Chinook Therapeutics.
Current development
Aduro Biotech is currently in Phase II with GVAX in pancreatic cancer, where the company is also trialing a combination of GVAX with a PD-1 inhibitor.
References
- Hege KM, Jooss K, Pardoll D (September 2006). "GM-CSF gene-modifed cancer cell immunotherapies: of mice and men". Int Rev Immunol. 25 (5–6): 321–352. doi:10.1080/08830180600992498. PMID 17169779. S2CID 24954445.
- Dranoff, Glenn (15 April 1993). "Vaccination with irradiated tumor cells engineered to secrete murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor stimulates potent, specific, and long-lasting anti-tumor immunity". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 90 (8): 3539–43. Bibcode:1993PNAS...90.3539D. doi:10.1073/pnas.90.8.3539. PMC 46336. PMID 8097319.
- "Cell Genesys to Buy Somatix Therapy". Los Angeles Times. 14 January 1997.
- "Cell Genesys Halts VITAL-2 GVAX Trial in Advanced Prostate Cancer". Business Wire. 27 August 2008.
- Carroll, John (10 August 2009). "BioSante, Cell Genesys merger will provide cash for Phase III". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- "Aduro announces acquisition of GVAX assets from BioSante". Aduro Biotech. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- "Chinook Therapeutics Closes Merger with Aduro Biotech and Completes $115 Million Private Placement Financing | Chinook Therapeutics, Inc". investors.chinooktx.com. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
- "Aduro Biotech pipeline". Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.