US Department of Defense has granted a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) grant to Aduro BioTech to complete the preclinical development of a new therapeutic cancer vaccine for prostate cancer.
Aduro's cancer vaccine platform is based on live-attenuated Listeria monocytogenes, which has been evaluated in three Phase 1 clinical trials.
The $867,846 grant will be used to generate Listeria strains to express a combination of tumor-associated prostate cancer antigens, which not only reduces the chances of tumor escaping the immune response but also increases the effective immune response.
The funds will also be used to evaluate candidate vaccine strains in animal models, which will be followed by toxicology and manufacturing of the lead strain.
The strain thus manufactured will be filed for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, according to the company.
Aduro BioTech Research and Development senior vice president Dirk Brockstedt said, "Based on our capabilities to design, engineer, test and manufacture Listeria-based vaccines, we can move rapidly and efficiently from concept to clinical trial."
