The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies targeting PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 have shown impressive clinical outcomes.

The Need

Despite their effectiveness, current monoclonal antibody treatments have limitations such as low response rates, toxicity problems, and high costs. There’s a critical need for innovative strategies that offer safer, more cost-effective, and efficacious alternatives to monoclonal antibodies, addressing the challenges of toxicity, resistance, and financial burden.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University have developed novel chimeric B-cell epitope peptide vaccines targeting human PD-L1 or CTLA-4. Through rigorous preclinical studies, the OSU researchers have identified and validated novel PD-L1 and CTLA-4 epitopes, demonstrating significant inhibition of tumor growth in multiple mouse tumor models. These novel vaccines can be combined with each other, or with B-cell epitope peptide vaccines targeting HER-2 or PD-1. This approach offers a promising alternative to monoclonal antibodies, providing safer and more specific immunotherapeutic options. These novel chimeric peptide vaccines, administered alone or in combination with existing immunotherapies, are useful for treating a number of cancers.

Commercial Applications

• Treatment of various cancers, including breast, colon, and melanoma, in combination with existing immunotherapies
• Development of novel peptide-based vaccines targeting immune checkpoints for clinical trials
• Alternative immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer patients with limited response to monoclonal antibodies
• Potential use in combination therapy regimens to enhance anti-tumor efficacy and overcome resistance
• Advancement of personalized medicine approaches for cancer treatment, improving patient outcomes and reducing treatment-related toxicity.

Benefits/Advantages

• Offers a safer and more cost-effective alternative to monoclonal antibodies for cancer immunotherapy
• Elicits a durable polyclonal antibody response with potent anti-tumor effects, targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway
• Demonstrates significant inhibition of tumor growth in multiple preclinical mouse tumor models
• Provides a viable treatment option for cancer patients with limited response to existing immunotherapies
• Supports the development of combination immunotherapy approaches to enhance therapeutic outcomes in clinical oncology landscape

Foreign and US Patent Applications Pending