PVX-410 is an experimental therapy being developed by OncoPep to treat smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). People with SMM have changes in the bone marrow, where myeloma occurs, but do not yet have any symptoms of the disease. Most people with SMM develop multiple myeloma within five years. The current standard of care for SMM patients is “watchful waiting.”
How does PVX-410 work?
PVX-410 is a therapeutic cancer vaccine. The goal is to slow or prevent the progression of SMM into myeloma, and to prevent the damage that often occurs to patients’ bones and kidneys during SMM, even if symptoms do not appear until later.
The treatment uses multiple peptides, or short chains of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), specific to myeloma cells to “teach” the immune system to recognize cancerous cells. It activates cytotoxic T-cells (the immune cells that kill damaged, infected, or cancerous cells) and should cause an increased immune response against myeloma cells. The use of multiple peptides can help prevent patients from developing resistance to the vaccine.
PVX-410 is designed to work both alone and in combination with other treatments. It is unclear how many doses of the vaccine will be necessary to treat SMM, or whether continued, long-term administration may be necessary.
PVX-410 in clinical trials
An open-label Phase 1b clinical trial (NCT02886065) is currently recruiting an estimated 20 patients with SMM in the U.S. to assess two different therapy combinations that include PVX-410. Patients will receive either PVX-410 and an investigational histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, citarinostat (ACY-241) or a triple combination of PVX-410, citarinostat, and the immunomodulatory treatment Revlimid (lenalidomide). The study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the treatment combinations over a two-year period. The primary outcome measure will be the proportion of patients with adverse events. Secondary outcome measures will include immune cell activation in either treatment group.
Last updated: Feb. 25, 2020
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