Public Funding for Altimmune UK Limited

In Europe there are an estimated 14 million citizens living with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, nearly a quarter of those will die of liver failure or liver cancer as a direct result of the viral infection, accounting for >36,000 deaths per annum. As a consequence HBV is a significant burden to healthcare systems across Europe through the direct costs of treatment, as well as indirect costs linked to lost productivity and premature death. Immune Targeting Systems (ITS) is developing a novel fluoropeptide vaccine immunotherapy (Hepsyn-B), based on its proprietary Depovaccine and Densigen technologies, to induce immune control over the disease, increase likelihood of the clearance of infected liver cells and reducing the need for prolonged costly drug therapy. This project provides the opportunity to expedite the pre-clinical development of Hepsyn-B and demonstrate vaccine safety, efficacy and manufacturability in preparation for human clinical trials.

One in three of us will be affected by cancer during our lifetimes. Given the ever increasing burden of disease and an ageing population, the costs of providing optimal care in Britain alone will rise by a staggering 62% over the next decade. Current healthcare models and practices are unsustainable. Immune Targeting Systems Ltd is a London based Biotechnology Company developing innovative vaccines technologies against for mutating viruses (influenza and hepatitis-B) and is now extending the platform pipeline into oncology, initially in non-small cell lung cancer. This project is the first stage of this new investment through feasibility assessment of the use of an in vitro assay as a stratification tool for cancer vaccines peptide antigens: (1) to select tumour associated antigen derived long peptides for vaccine inclusion, and (2) to select patients suitable for vaccine intervention. Thereby providing a clear clinical development plan for a novel stratified therapeutic oncology vaccine.