Technology evaluation: BLP-25, Biomira Inc.
Biomira is developing the MUC-1 peptide-based vaccine BLP-25 for the potential treatment of cancer. It is in phase II trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [335997], [353448], [384703]. The MUC-1 mucin secreted by cancer cells has been shown to decrease the activity of certain immune response cells, including killer T-cells, and can inhibit the immune T-cell response by > 70%. BLP-25 is designed to target an immune response to the MUC-1 mucin that is shown by > 90% of common solid tumors. The introduction of IL-2 reverses the T-cell suppression caused by MUC-1 mucin, and enhances the cellular immune response > 100-fold. Biomira has been incorporating IL-2 into a liposomal delivery system for BLP-25 [274576]. In late 1998, Biomira entered into a research collaboration with Axis Genetics. The collaboration will assess the further potential of therapeutic cancer vaccines against MUC-1. Each company has developed a vaccine targeting the MUC-1 peptide and Biomira will be evaluating Axis's vaccine in preclinical trials [313395]. In December 1996, Biomira signed a licensing agreement whereby it was granted the rights to use Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's two US patents relating to MUC-1 (based on pioneering work at the Institute on the identification of cell-surface molecules that are characteristic of cancer cells) for peptide-based cancer vaccines [228101].
Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. m.morse@cgct.duke.edu
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001709:Biotechnology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D019496:Cancer Vaccines; C116055:MUC1 tandem repeat peptide; D018396:Mucin-1; D010446:Peptide Fragments