- The company has announced an increase in the potency of its lead immunotherapy candidate, Bria-IMT, through cryopreservation
- The frozen formula simplifies logistics and makes it possible for the immunotherapy to reach patients across long distances without a compromise in the safety or efficiency of the treatment
- The same cryopreservation approach will be utilized in the case of Bria-OTS, BriaCell’s off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer
The use of a novel Bria-IMT frozen formulation is one of the exciting new developments that BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT) announced recently. Bria-IMT is the company’s lead immunotherapy candidate. It is a novel treatment that works by providing breast cancer antigens that directly stimulate T-cell activity and boost the immune system’s cancer-fighting capabilities in advanced breast cancer patients.
According to BriaCell President and CEO Dr. William Williams, the freezing of Bria-IMT in a viable form through the use of well-established cryopreservation technologies enables the creation of a much more potent immunotherapy than the previous version. Apart from resulting in a more powerful formulation, the cryopreservation of Bria-IMT also enables easier management of logistics processes that make the delivery of the immunotherapy to breast cancer patients possible. Because of the combined benefits, the development of the frozen formulation can be considered a big plus for the program, and it will be the one that BriaCell will be using going forward, Williams said in an interview (http://ibn.fm/KSPa5).
Cryopreservation simplifies the storage of ready-to-inject Bria-IMT. Once delivered to a clinical facility, the formulation will simply need to be thawed prior to patient administration. In the long run, this frozen formulation is expected to reduce the per-dose cost in comparison to the old Bria-IMT delivery and administration model.
Williams explained in a news release that preparation of Bria-IMT through the previous approach was cumbersome and complex. Through cryopreservation, the viability of the formulation is better preserved than that of the previous version. Bria-IMT can be transported to distant locations in its frozen state, without any compromise in its safety or effectiveness.
The new frozen formulation technology is also applicable to Bria-OTS – BriaCell’s off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer. Bria-OTS is currently being developed and is expected to enter the clinic in the latter half of 2019.
Information about the new formulation and additional findings pertaining to the Bria-IMT clinical trials are expected to be announced during several industry events over the course of 2019.
BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. Founder and Director Dr. Charles L. Wiseman will be a keynote speaker at the 10th Euro Breast Cancer Summit, which will take place in Paris on March 21-22, 2019. The summit’s theme for 2019 is rediscovering novel approaches toward a cure for breast cancer and women’s health (http://ibn.fm/zbzMJ).
BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. will also be presenting a poster at the prestigious American Association of Cancer Research’s (“AACR”) annual meeting that will be taking place from March 29 to April 3, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia.
These presentations will summarize results and comprehensive data analysis of the completed phase I/IIa monotherapy trial of Bria-IMT in advanced breast cancer. The monotherapy study involved 23 advanced breast cancer patients. So far, Bria-IMT’s safety has been established, and the lead candidate has achieved proof of concept in terms of expected efficacy in certain patient populations.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BriaCell.com
