M72
ENEA Technology
GENETIC CHIMERAS BETWEEN PLANT SEQUENCES AND VIRAL AND/OR TUMOR ANTIGENS: IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCERS ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) INFECTIONS
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
7÷8
Innovations and Benefits
The Human Papilomavirus (HPV) is the aetiological cause of many different tumours among which cervical, ano-genital and head/neck cancers. No specific therapies exist for the therapy of these tumours able to avoid recurrence of lesions. Targeting the HPV-associated antigens (i.e. the E7 and E6 onco-proteins) offer the possibility to tailor intervention and produce specific anti-HPV tumour therapies.
The technology* is based on a genetic vaccine where the E7 gene is fused to a sequence encoding a variant of the plant protein 'saporin' from Saponaria officinalis. The fusion induces an effective presentation of the tumour-associated antigen E7 to the immune system which is responsible for the tumour regression that is observed in two distinct mouse models (one model is an orthotopic model for heah/neck tumours), in particular upon intra-tumoural injection.
Use
Anti-tumour immunotherapy is being exploited for clinical use with surprising results. Being HPV responsible of all the tumours affecting mankind by 5%, and due to the availability of two vaccines with only proven efficacy to prevent infection, it is envisable that the reference market for pharmaceutical companies producing cancer immunotherapeutics might be of hundreds of millions of people. Immunotherapy might be of great importance in reducing the burden of the disease in particular in Developing Countries, where screening and surveillance programs are lacking.
The concept of the technology, that refers to the immunotherapy of HPV-related tumours, is applicable to all cancers which pathogenesis is due to specific tumour-associated antigens.
Applications and ongoing Activities
Combinations with immuno-, radio-, chemo-therapy. Studies aiming to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of the vaccine. Evaluation of the activity of the vaccine in a proteinbased version produced in plant expression systems.
*European Patent ENEA, IFO/IRE, Università dell’Aquila, Franconi R., Massa S., Venuti A., Spanò L. ‘Vaccines based on genetic chimera of viral and/or tumoral antigens and plant proteins’. EP n. 2456785 Notified in Italy, France, Germany.
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