MaxiVAX SA, a private Swiss biotech company, is conducting a clinical phase 1 trial at the Geneva University Hospitals with its proprietary cancer vaccination MVX-ONCO-1 in 15 patients suffering from various cancers at an advanced stage.

The Immuno-Oncology therapeutic protocol and product of MaxiVAX is based on boosting the patient’s own immune response against his/her cancer cells. The first component is a vaccine aiming at an immune protection against existing cancer and metastases. The company says a key benefit of the MaxiVAX vaccine is that it enables the patient to build up a simultaneous immune response across multiple antigens, and thereby increases the likelihood of success. The second component is an immune-boosting agent which is provided via genetically re-programmed cells that secrete the agent in a sustained manner at the site of vaccination. These cells are themselves immuno-protected by a small hollow-fiber capsule, implanted under the skin. This technology of protein delivery by encapsulated cells was pioneered by Prof. P. Aebischer, president of EPFL in Lausanne, who has been an advisor to MaxiVAX since its foundation.

Prof. Bernard Mach, co-founder and chairman of MaxiVAX, said, “We are very excited by this important clinical trial with a high-tech therapy that has the potential to dramatically improve the survival rates of patients suffering from advanced cancers. Our unique approach is to use the patient’s entire cancer cell as a vaccination antigen, combined with a potent immune boosting agent delivered continuously by a small capsule under the skin. This reprograms and boosts the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.”

The phase 1 trial in Geneva is due for completion in the middle of 2015. Assuming a successful outcome, the company plans to conduct multi-center clinical phase IIa trials in Europe in 2015-2017. The goal is to establish the cancer-specific treatment efficacy and safety of MVX-ONCO-1 in larger lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer patient populations. The company is conducting a new financing round with existing and new private investors to support these clinical programs.

The vaccine and the immune-booster are both being administered 6 times over a period of 8 weeks in this first clinical trial.