Genocea HSV-2 Immunotherapeutic GEN-003 Elicits Significant, Durable T Cell Responses in Vaccinated Subjects

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jul 22, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Genocea Biosciences, Inc. GNCA -12.37%  , a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing T cell-enabled vaccines and immunotherapies, today presented data from a Phase 1/2a study of GEN-003, the Company's investigational immunotherapy against HSV-2, demonstrating that the immunotherapy elicited T cell, IgG and neutralizing antibody responses that remained significantly above baseline for 12 months after treatment. The data were presented at the 39th Annual International Herpesvirus Workshop, being held July 19-23, 2014 in Kobe, Japan.

 

"Prior HSV-2 immunotherapy candidates investigated by others have failed to meet their clinical endpoints because in each case, these immunotherapies elicited serum neutralizing antibodies against the virus but failed to trigger effective CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses against HSV-2 infected cells. As a result, experts have called for next-generation immunotherapies capable of dispatching T cells to combat HSV-2 infected cells, to limit both viral shedding and symptom recurrences," said Jessica Baker Flechtner, Ph.D., Genocea senior vice president of research. "In this trial, at a dose that reduced viral shedding by up to 52 percent, more than 90 percent of subjects demonstrated vaccine-induced T cell responses, defined as greater than 3.5 fold increases from baseline, which remain significantly elevated even 12 months after treatment."

 

The data were part of an oral presentation by Dr. Flechtner entitled "T cell and Antibody Responses of Subjects Participating in GEN-003-001, a Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of a Novel Therapeutic Vaccine Against HSV-2."

 

About GEN-003

 

GEN-003 is Genocea's lead product candidate and is a T cell-enabled immunotherapy intended to reduce the transmission risk and clinical symptoms of HSV-2. In a Phase 1/2a study, patients showed statistically significant reductions in viral shedding and genital lesion rates of up to 52 percent and 65 percent respectively, with a durability of effect to six months after dosing in the 30µg dose group. A Phase 2 dose optimization study is currently ongoing. GEN-003 was designed with insights from Genocea's ATLAS™ platform. ATLAS™ profiles the comprehensive spectrum of actual T cell responses mounted by humans in response to disease, enabling the identification of antigen targets which drive protective T cell responses with which to design potential new vaccines and immunotherapies.

 

For more information about GEN-003, please visit http://www.genocea.com/platform-pipeline/pipeline/gen003-for-hsv-2/ .

 

About HSV-2

 

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital herpes, is a sexually transmitted disease that is estimated to infect more than 500 million people worldwide. In the United States roughly 15 percent of the adult population, or 40 million people, are infected. HSV-2 infection can cause recurring, painful genital sores, and can be stigmatizing and produce considerable psychological distress in patients. The disease is particularly severe in immunosuppressed patients and poses significant risk to newborns if it is transmitted from mothers during birth. While antiviral drugs are used widely to treat HSV-2, there is neither a cure nor a vaccine for this disease.

 

About Genocea

 

Genocea is harnessing the power of T cell immunity to develop life-changing vaccines and immunotherapies. T cells are increasingly recognized as a critical element of protective immune responses to a wide range of diseases, but traditional discovery methods have proven unable to identify the targets of such protective immune response. Using ATLAS™, its proprietary technology platform, Genocea identifies these targets to potentially enable the rapid development of medicines to address critical patient needs. Genocea's pipeline of novel clinical stage T cell-enabled product candidates includes GEN-003, in development for HSV-2 therapy; GEN-004, in development to prevent infections caused by pneumococcus; and earlier-stage programs in chlamydia, HSV-2 prophylaxis, malaria and cancer immunotherapy. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.genocea.com .

 

Forward Looking Statements

 

Statements herein relating to future business performance, conditions or strategies and other financial and business matters, including expectations regarding clinical developments, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Genocea cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materiallyfrom the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or historical experience include risks and uncertainties, including Genocea's ability to progress any product candidates in preclinical or clinical trials; the scope, rate and progress of its preclinical studies and clinical trials and other research and development activities; clinical trial results; current results may not be predictive of future results; even if the data from preclinical studies or clinical trials is positive, the product may not prove to be safe and efficacious; Genocea's ability to enter into future collaborations with industry partners and the government and the terms, timing and success of any such collaboration; the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights; Genocea's ability to obtain rights to technology; competition for clinical resources and patient enrollment from drug candidates in development by other companies with greater resources and visibility; the ability to obtain adequate financing in the future through product licensing, co-promotional arrangements, public or private equity or debt financing or otherwise; general business conditions; competition; business abilities and judgment of personnel; the availability of qualified personnel and other factors set forth under "Risk Factors" in Genocea's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 and other filings with the Securities Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Further information on the factors and risks that could affect Genocea's business, financial conditions and results of operations is contained in Genocea's filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov . These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and Genocea assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

 

SOURCE: Genocea Biosciences, Inc.

 

For media: 

Linnden Communications 

Michelle Linn 

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M: 774-696-3803 

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or 

For investors: 

Genocea Biosciences 

Bob Farrell, 617-674-8261 

[email protected]

 

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