Cell-based therapies utilize either a patient’s own cells (autologous) or cells from a donor (allogeneic) and modify them. The cells are then injected into the blood or directly into tissues to alleviate disease. Among the cell types that can be adopted for this use, a highly specialized immune cell, known as a dendritic cell or ‘DC’, has the potential to either strongly activate our immune system to fight cancer or can alternatively be programmed to dampen the damaging, self-directed inflammatory responses often seen in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. Personalized therapies utilizing autologous DCs have the potential to either activate our body’s immune response to cancer or to alternatively enhance our capacity to accept transplanted tissues by reprogramming or ‘dampening’ the self-destructive immune responses that are often characteristic of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
Sopprimerex
Sopprimerex is an ex-vivo expanded autologous ‘tolerogenic’ dendritic cell product induced by pharmacologically targeting cell signaling pathways that control DC metabolism and maturation. These tolerizing DCs powerfully suppress the deleterious inflammatory processes typically seen in autoimmunity and graft rejection.
Celloram has developed a proprietary and novel method to manufacture tolerogenic dendritic cells. Our lead product, Sopprimerex, has a demonstrated capacity to suppress graft rejection in preclinical models of organ transplant, protect against graft versus host disease in preclinical models of a bone marrow transplant and block immune-mediated destruction of bone marrow stem cells in preclinical models of aplastic anemia. Clinical applications of Sopprimerex will be aimed at improving outcomes for patients with chronic, treatment-refractory autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Protexi
Protexi is an innovative cancer vaccine that utilizes autologous dendritic cells to induce a strong immune response by activating the patient’s own helper and tumor-killing T-cell activities.
Protexi is an ex-vivo expanded autologous mature DC product that has been loaded or ‘pulsed’ with personalized tumor-specific antigens, referred to as ‘neoantigens’ (NeoAgs). These NeoAgs are identified by genomic analyses of the patient’s own tumor by utilizing high-precision computer algorithms, providing a highly personalized form of cancer cell therapy.
Combinations of PROTEXI together with immune modulators (such as checkpoint inhibitors and antagonists of the TGF-beta pathway) form the basis of next-generation cancer vaccines designed to target hard-to-treat tumors including therapy-resistant, immune-cold and inoperable tumors for which survival rates remain unacceptably low.
