Vaximm AG has completed analysis of two clinical studies evaluating its oral DNA cancer vaccine VXM01 in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, with findings expected to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in the coming months.

VXM01 is designed to target vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), a protein involved in the formation of new blood vessels that can support tumour growth. The vaccine is being developed as an approach to activate the immune system against a chosen target and has previously been evaluated in patients with pancreatic cancer.

The company said the glioblastoma studies evaluated VXM01 both as a monotherapy and in combination therapy. According to the preliminary findings expected to be included in the planned manuscript, treatment was safe and well tolerated, with no dose-limiting toxicities or high-grade treatment-related adverse events reported.

The studies also indicated that VXM01 activated patients’ immune responses against the target, with signs of dose-dependent immunological activity and biomarker findings that the company said were consistent with the proposed mechanism of action.

VXM01 cancer vaccine platform evaluated in glioblastoma

The findings add to previous clinical evaluations of VXM01 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and could provide further evidence for the development of the vaccine platform across different cancer indications.

Prof Wolfgang Wick, chairman of the Neurology Clinic of Heidelberg University and principal investigator of the glioblastoma trials, said: “these results are indeed encouraging with regard to moving this concept further in the clinic”.

However, the full dataset has not yet been published, meaning details of the clinical outcomes, including the scale of any potential benefit for patients, are not currently available.

The company intends to submit the findings to a peer-reviewed scientific journal and said further top-line results are expected to be announced, including information on the future clinical development of VXM01 and its broader vaccine platform.

Oral DNA vaccine targets VEGFR-2

VXM01 is an oral DNA vaccine designed to stimulate an immune response against VEGFR-2. The target is associated with angiogenesis, the process through which new blood vessels form and which plays a role in tumour development and progression.

The approach is intended to use active immunisation to direct the immune system towards a selected target rather than directly delivering a conventional therapeutic agent against the cancer.

The latest studies therefore provide an opportunity to assess whether the platform can generate an immune response in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, an area of significant unmet medical need.

Dr Andreas Niethammer, CEO of Vaximm AG, said: “We are excited by the encouraging results of these glioblastoma studies, adding to our prior evaluations in pancreatic cancer.”

He added: “The data from both trials give further credibility to VXM01, as well as to the oral DNA vaccine platform itself, as an approach to active immunization against a chosen target.”

The company said it plans to share the full dataset with the scientific community once the publication process allows.

Until the detailed results are published, the available findings remain preliminary. The future development of VXM01 will depend on the full clinical and immunological data from the glioblastoma studies, as well as the company’s plans for further evaluation of the vaccine in cancer.