Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/
ZUG, Switzerland and NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SELLAS Life Sciences Group (SELLAS), a development-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative products to treat cancers and central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today reported positive results from the Company's Phase 1/2 clinical study of its WT1 cancer vaccine in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) following autologous stem cell transplantation. Initial results from the study, which commenced in June 2014 and enrolled a total of 15 patients, have demonstrated positive immune response data and safety findings as well as early efficacy data. Three patients with high-risk cytogenetics achieved an immune response against WT1 peptides encoded in the vaccine, and two of these patients continued in remission at the time of last follow-up at one year; the third patient was in remission as of the first, three-month follow-up and will continue to be followed through one year. Additional clinical results will be reported in 2016 in the appropriate peer-reviewed forum once all of the 15 patients have completed the vaccinations and immune responses have been analyzed. Based on these promising data, SELLAS intends to assess the efficacy of the WT1 cancer vaccine in MM in a larger Phase II/III trial including patients with standard risk disease following induction chemotherapy in 2016.
Guenther Koehne, M.D., Ph.D., Attending Physician, Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation Service, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and Principal Investigator of the Phase I/II trial, commented, "I am excited by the prospect of this WT1 cancer vaccine in treating multiple myeloma, as it has demonstrated strong safety findings and impressive immune response data. While these results are preliminary, it appears patients with high-risk cytogenetics may experience a benefit of progression-free survival with the WT1 vaccine, and we will continue to track closely each patient's progress as we complete the follow-up."
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