OncoSec Announces Publication of New Research in the Journal Immunity Highlighting the Role of IL-12 in Anti-PD-1 Therapies with TAVOtm Directly Activating TILs in Patients

SAN DIEGO and PENNINGTON, N.J., Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoSec Medical Incorporated (OncoSec) (NASDAQ:ONCS), a company developing novel cancer immunotherapies, today announced the publication of new research in the journal Immunity that finds that IL-12 producing dendritic cells play an essential role in enabling tumor responses to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. The study was conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and OncoSec, among others. As noted in the study, OncoSec's lead compound, TAVOtm (tavokinogene telseplasmid; plasmid plasmid IL-12), which delivers IL-12 directly into tumors, was found to play in important role in enhancing the expression of cytolytic genes within tumors that are associated with anti-tumor responses. The paper, titled "Successful Anti-PD-1 Cancer Immunotherapy Requires T Cell-Dendritic Cell Crosstalk Involving the Cytokines IFN-? and IL-12" appears in the December 18, 2018 issue of Immunity.  

"The evidence continues to build that IL-12 plays an important role in eliciting anti-tumor responses with anti-PD-1 immunotherapies. We've seen this in our own pre-clinical data and in our clinical programs to date," said Christopher G. Twitty, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of OncoSec.  "This study elegantly demonstrated that a critical subset of IL-12-producing dendritic cells in concert with IFN-g⁺ T cells are necessary for an effective anti-PD-1 therapy. Additionally, it was reported that intratumoral delivery of IL-12 with our TAVO system dramatically enhanced the tumor's immunogenicity as well as cytolytic signature, further supporting this important mechanism of action." 

The study explored the transcriptional effects of TAVOtm monotherapy in melanoma patients and found that IL-12 activates a cytolytic gene signature in tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL). Furthermore, this TAVOtm-related anti-tumor immune signature was more pronounced in patients with better clinical responses compared to those patients with progressive disease. This publication continues to elucidate the power of IL-12 to activate CD8⁺ TIL in patient's tumor.

The full manuscript is available on the journal's website at https://www.cell.com/immunity/pdfExtended/S1074-7613(18)30439-4 and will be posted to the OncoSec website at www.oncosec.com.

About OncoSec Medical Incorporated
OncoSec is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing cytokine-based intratumoral immunotherapies to stimulate the body's immune system to target and attack cancer.   OncoSec's lead immunotherapy platform ? TAVOtm (tavokinogene telseplasmid) ? enables the intratumoral delivery of DNA-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), a naturally occurring protein with immune-stimulating functions.  The technology, which employs electroporation, is designed to produce a controlled, localized expression of IL-12 in the tumor microenvironment, enabling the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body.  OncoSec has built a deep and diverse clinical pipeline utilizing TAVOtm as a potential treatment for multiple cancer indications either as a monotherapy or in combination with leading checkpoint inhibitors; with the latter potentially enabling OncoSec to address a great unmet medical need in oncology: anti-PD-1 non-responders.   Results from recently completed clinical studies of TAVOtm have demonstrated a local immune response, and subsequently, a systemic effect as either a monotherapy or combination treatment approach.   In addition to TAVOtm, OncoSec is identifying and developing new DNA-encoded therapeutic candidates and tumor indications for use with its ImmunoPulse® platform.  For more information, please visit www.oncosec.com.

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SOURCE OncoSec Medical Incorporated