VBI Vaccines tackles glioblastoma multiforme

Cambridge, MA—VBI Vaccines Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation infectious disease and immuno-oncology vaccines, has announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1/2a clinical study of VBI-1901 for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (rGBM). The study will enroll up to 28 patients and is designed to evaluate safety, tolerability, and the optimal therapeutic dose level of VBI-1901.

This two-part Phase 1/2a study is a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation study of VBI-1901 in approximately 28 patients with rGBM. Part A will involve a dose-escalation phase to define the safety, tolerability, and optimal dose level of VBI-1901 in rGBM patients. This phase is expected to enroll up to 18 patients. Part B entails a subsequent extension of the optimal dose level, as defined in the dose escalation phase. This phase is expected to enroll an expanded cohort of approximately 10 additional patients.

“We are excited to announce that the first patient has been dosed in this initial clinical study of VBI-1901, our first clinical study in immuno-oncology,” said Jeff Baxter, President and CEO of VBI. “Recurrent GBM is a devastating CMV-associated tumor with few effective treatment options. We developed VBI-1901 to target two highly immunogenic CMV antigens, and, based on preclinical studies, we believe it has the potential to induce a strong anti-tumor immune response in these patients.”

VBI-1901 is a novel immunotherapy developed using VBI’s eVLP technology to target two highly immunogenic cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens, gB and pp65. Scientific literature suggests CMV infection is prevalent in multiple solid tumors, and recent research has demonstrated that an anti-CMV dendritic cell vaccination regimen may extend overall survival in patients with GBM.

VBI-1901 will be administered intradermally and will be adjuvanted with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, a potent adjuvant that mobilizes dendritic cell function. Patients in both phases of the study will continue to receive vaccine every four weeks until tumor progression.

The study will be based at NewYork Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and Inova Health System in Falls Church, Virginia. Andrew Lassman, MD, the John Harris Associate Professor of Neurology and Chief of Neuro-oncology at Columbia University, has been named as the lead investigator. Additional information is available at ClinicalTrials.gov using identifier NCT03382977.