Torigen Announces Positive Results for Dogs Administered the Company's Autologous Cancer Vaccine

FARMINGTON, Conn., Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Torigen Pharmaceuticals Inc., an animal health biologics company, today announced positive preliminary results supporting the therapeutic potential of the company's experimental Autologous Cancer Vaccine for treating metastatic hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in dogs. HSA is an aggressive and ultimately fatal cancer that most commonly originates in a dog's spleen.

Torigen's experimental Autologous Cancer Vaccine is a form of active immunotherapy consisting of cells harvested from the patient's own tumor making this a cancer-type agnostic treatment. The results have been published in BMC Veterinary Research, a leading veterinary journal.

"This is exciting news for veterinarians and dog owners alike," said Dr. Michael Lucroy, Chief Medical Officer and Board-Certified Veterinary Oncologist. "These findings demonstrate the potential for an individualized immunotherapy approach in the management of advanced cancers, like hemangiosarcoma."

The publication reported that Torigen's Autologous Cancer Vaccine had an effect as an active form of immunotherapy based on in vitro results where it was shown to upregulate two important molecules for generating an immune response on antigen presenting cells: MHC-II and CD80. Retrospective analysis of outcomes was done for dogs with stage III HSA treated with surgery alone, surgery followed by maximum tolerated dose (MTD) chemotherapy, and surgery followed by Torigen's Autologous Cancer Vaccine. The study revealed a greater than 3-fold increase in survival of the dogs treated with their Autologous Cancer Vaccine over those receiving surgery alone. The median survival time of the vaccinated dogs was the same as dogs treated with MTD chemotherapy, without reported adverse events. The 1-year survival rate was 12.5% for the vaccinated dogs compared with 0% for dogs treated with surgery alone or surgery followed by MTD chemotherapy.

Lucroy added, "immunotherapy with the adjuvanted autologous cancer vaccine is capable of up-regulating MHC-II and CD80 in cultured canine monocyte-derived cells, which are important stimulatory molecules in generating an immune response, and the vaccine improves survival time in dogs with metastatic (stage III) HSA when compared to surgical treatment alone."

These findings set the stage for a prospective clinical trial beginning in 2021. Torigen's Autologous Cancer Vaccine is currently available to veterinarians in the United States as an experimental therapeutic and is regulated by the USDA.

About Torigen's Autologous Cancer Vaccine:
Torigen's Autologous Cancer Vaccine is a form of active immunotherapy consisting of cells harvested from the patient's own tumor making this a cancer-type agnostic treatment. This whole cell cancer vaccine is generated by a novel method to preserve tumor associated antigens (TAA), and then mixing the cellular material with immune adjuvants. The goal is to increase presentation of TAA to the immune system, thereby increasing activation of tumor-specific T cells. The result is an enhanced ability of the immune system to destroy cancer cells, stop or slow the growth of cancer cells, or delay metastasis which can improve patient survival.

About Torigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:
Torigen is a commercial-stage biopharma company founded as a spin-off from the University of Notre Dame in collaboration with Cook Biologics. The company is headquartered in Farmington, CT and holds multiple patents around the novel vaccine technology. To date, more than 800 dogs across the United States have been treated with their Autologous Cancer Vaccine.

The Torigen team is passionate about innovation and dedicated to developing safe, effective, and affordable treatments for companion animals with cancer, solving unmet needs for veterinarians and pet owners. For more information, please visit Torigen.com.

Media Contact

Ashley Kalinauskas, Torigen, 1-860-519-9956, [email protected]

SOURCE Torigen